Firing
Grizzlies fired Coach Fizdale, named JB Bickerstaff as interim coach. There are rumors of Coach Fiz was feuding with Marc Gasol (of course, there are also rumors that Gasol is on the trade block) but I don't get this move because...who was expecting the Grizzlies to be good this year? Unless the front office has decided that Fizdale is not the guy to rebuild with, then I think Fizdale has been good enough to warrant finishing the season. Puzzling move.
Injuries
Mirza Teletovic (Bucks) had knee surgery, out indefinitely. Teletovic has been one of my favorite players to watch over the last few years but the Bucks should have plenty of scoring to withstand his absence for a while.
Paul Millsap (Nuggets) had wrist surgery, out indefinitely. The Nuggets have a lot of depth, ideally they can give Millsap some extended time off to ensure his health later on.
Debuts
Up to 80 debuts in the NBA so far. The 8 latest in the last two weeks: Torrey Craig (Nuggets), Daniel Hamilton (Thunder), Jamil Wilson (Clippers), Tyler Lydon (Nuggets), Kobi Simmons (Grizzlies), Jacob Pullen (Sixers), John Holland (Cavs), Antonius Cleveland (Mavs)
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
2017-18 NFL (Week 12)
Games I watched (some of):
Vikings 30-23 Lions
The Vikings are a steady team, they don't make big mistakes, they don't rely on big plays, they stay within themselves play after play and end up on top more often than not. I know the Eagles are crushing and the Rams are pretty good at running up the score, but I think the Vikings are the sneaky good pick to come out of the NFC. The Lions are still hanging around but they just don't have the consistency, they look okay at times but not enough to think they'll beat out any of the NFC South squads.
Chargers 28-6 Cowboys
Man, the Cowboys made the Chargers look good. The Cowboys have too many injuries to keep pace right now, they are weak in the places they used to look strong and their game plan hasn't adjusted. I thought they overachieved last year and I think we're seeing the correction. The Chargers have been chucking the ball around pretty good all year long but now the D is starting to make plays and they're taking a clear step forward right as the Chiefs are struggling. I think the Chargers keep it going, think the Cowboys are not officially out of the race.
Giants 10-20 Redskins
I thought the Giants would cover that 7.5 point spread and they would have if not for late turnovers (and subsequent defense just good enough to make the Redskins kick a FG rather then just running out the clock). Man, the Giants can't even lose good! The Redskins have moments but if this is as good as they're gonna play then they're not really even that good.
Browns 16-30 Bengals
15,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age, ice from the North Pole stretched all the way down the Ohio River. This game made me root for more ice. Global warming, people! It leads to Ohio football! That said, the Bengals offense is getting better and finally reaching out the RB Joe Mixon could be the cornerstone of a mediocre-enough gameplan to get them crushed in the playoffs. Things are looking up!
Saints 20-26 Rams
I was intrigued by the defenses early on in this game, a lot of holding penalties that kept the offenses backpedaling. But the Rams eventually got the best of the depleted Saints D and were lucky enough to recover that onside kick and run out the clock (because the Saints seem to like waiting to the last minute to pull out victories). I like what I see in this Rams team: they play with a ruthlessness that is kinda refreshing in a team that has struggled for so long. With the Seahawks D falling apart, I'm finally convinced the Rams are gonna take the NFC West. But I'm still kinda lukewarm on the Saints. That offense has its moments and the defense is much improved this year, they've got a great QB, a solid coach and a nice influx of youth, but...that propensity to wait til the last minute is troubling. They don't control games, they hang around and it feels like they should be better than that so while they feel like they've got the right vibe, I'm not yet feeling it.
Packer 28-31 Steelers
I've been saying the whole time that Hundley is not bad, he just doesn't yet know what he's doing and he's trying to learn in the most desperate of circumstances (and we're realizing that the Packers without Rodgers are simply not very good). He finally had the game I thought he was capable of and they almost pulled it out. That said, the Steelers are the classic just-good-enough kinda team and even though their best is as good as anyone in the league, they hardly ever play their best, which gives even so-so squads like the Packers a shot at pulling out a victory. The Steelers did enough to win but the Packers gave 'em a scare and I think there's just enough time left for them to get something rolling. I'm not ready to give up on the Packers just yet and while I have to acknowledge the Steelers are in the top two in the AFC, I think there's a widening gap between 1 and 2.
Other results (surprising):
Bills 16-10 Chiefs
The Bills D has been getting smacked around lately (although can we really blame them for the Chargers game when their QB throws 5 interceptions? They never had a chance!) and making puzzling moves on the offense lately made it feel like the Bills were heading in the wrong direction. Fortunately for them, the Chiefs are even more heading in the wrong direction! Can't remember a team that looked so offensively dominant for 6 weeks and then so fucking horrible for 6 weeks, but that offense just does not move the ball any more. Thought the Buffalo D would be an opportunity for them to turn it around but, uh, nope, turned it was Buffalo's opportunity. The Bills have re-emerged in the playoff picture (two games left against New England isn't gonna help) while the Chiefs are suddenly at fingernail depth on their post-season chances.
Texans 16-23 Ravens
Whatever happened in this game was going to be a surprise because I don't even know who the Texans are any more after all their injuries and the Ravens are such a Jekyll and Hyde squad, I had no idea whether they'd look good tonight or not. The Ravens jumped back ahead of the Bills in Wild Card race, can't see them catching the Steelers and they may struggle to stay ahead of the Bengals. We'll see.
Other results (not so surprising):
Titans 20-16 Colts
The Titans, like the Steelers, do just enough to win, which is fine when you're playing the Colts but I don't think that bodes well for them in the post-season. The Colts suck and even when they don't suck, they still tend to find ways to give games away.
Bears 3-31 Eagles
The Bears suck. The offense has some upside and I still like the D line, a coaching change will serve them well next year. The Eagles are legit good on both sides of the ball. Wentz is probably the most improved player in the league (neck and neck with Jared Goff, right?), the D is one of the best in the league and the rest of the skill positions are falling into place. The Eagles are looking like #1 in the NFC.
Panthers 35-27 Jets
Ugh! What a terrible game! I caught the end of this where the Jets were trying as hard as they could to give them game away and the Panthers only half-heartedly took it. The Panthers are winning but I can't for the life of me figure out how, the rest of their schedule is a buzzsaw and I think they're about to get sliced. The Jets are actually not as awful as I thought they'd be. I mean...that's something, right?
Dolphins 17-35 Patriots
Tom Brady gets beat up more this year than I remembered in the past--and that's considering that he moves better than he used to. The Dolphins D (re: Suh) has nothing better to do than snap him in half, which is really the only thing that could trip up the Pats right now. The Dolphins are another one of those teams that really aren't that bad when they're not going out of their way to be bad, is bringing back Tannehill the golden ticket for them?
Bucs 20-34 Falcons
The Falcons offense is better than its been, they've got good momentum heading into a lot of extremely meaningful division games, but they're not as good as last year, not all the ills are healed. I think they get past the Panthers and Seahawks, though. We'll see. The Bucs suck, they have moments of quality football but they never look like they're going to win.
Seahawks 24-13 Niners
The Niners had to bring in Garropolo but you could tell they didn't really want to. They've pretty much announced they're going franchise tag him next year, so he'll get a big paycheck while the team decides if he really is the guy for the future (I suspect he is), but for now there's no reason to interrupt that bid for a top 5 draft pick to go with their shiny new QB. I don't blame them. They suck anyway, why bother to try to win now? As for the Seahawks, that defense is steadily crumbling and they still haven't figured out the offensive line. Its all on Russell Wilson (if they make the playoffs he needs some serious MVP discussion) and with the Falcons playing well (and the Packers figuring it out?), its gonna be tough for them to salvage this season.
Jags 24-27 Cards
Strangely similar teams: good defenses, shaky QBs, offenses that rely on the running game. Neither team is very good nor really bad. The Jags should probably make the playoffs (but will undoubtedly get smoked badly right away) while the Cards have no shot at anything good any time soon.
Broncos 14-21 Raiders
One of these teams is falling apart while the other is suddenly back in the playoff race, but this game is not much of an indicator of which is which.
Won (covered): Vikings, Chargers, Redskins, Falcons, Bengals, Titans, Bills, Pats, Panthers, Eagles, Seahawks, Raiders, Rams, Cards
Won (didn't cover): Steelers, Ravens
Lost (covered): Packers, Texans
Lost (didn't cover): Lions, cowboys, Giants, Bucs, Browns, Colts, Chiefs, Dolphins, Jets, Bears, Niners, Broncos, Saints, Jags
Vikings 30-23 Lions
The Vikings are a steady team, they don't make big mistakes, they don't rely on big plays, they stay within themselves play after play and end up on top more often than not. I know the Eagles are crushing and the Rams are pretty good at running up the score, but I think the Vikings are the sneaky good pick to come out of the NFC. The Lions are still hanging around but they just don't have the consistency, they look okay at times but not enough to think they'll beat out any of the NFC South squads.
Chargers 28-6 Cowboys
Man, the Cowboys made the Chargers look good. The Cowboys have too many injuries to keep pace right now, they are weak in the places they used to look strong and their game plan hasn't adjusted. I thought they overachieved last year and I think we're seeing the correction. The Chargers have been chucking the ball around pretty good all year long but now the D is starting to make plays and they're taking a clear step forward right as the Chiefs are struggling. I think the Chargers keep it going, think the Cowboys are not officially out of the race.
Giants 10-20 Redskins
I thought the Giants would cover that 7.5 point spread and they would have if not for late turnovers (and subsequent defense just good enough to make the Redskins kick a FG rather then just running out the clock). Man, the Giants can't even lose good! The Redskins have moments but if this is as good as they're gonna play then they're not really even that good.
Browns 16-30 Bengals
15,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age, ice from the North Pole stretched all the way down the Ohio River. This game made me root for more ice. Global warming, people! It leads to Ohio football! That said, the Bengals offense is getting better and finally reaching out the RB Joe Mixon could be the cornerstone of a mediocre-enough gameplan to get them crushed in the playoffs. Things are looking up!
Saints 20-26 Rams
I was intrigued by the defenses early on in this game, a lot of holding penalties that kept the offenses backpedaling. But the Rams eventually got the best of the depleted Saints D and were lucky enough to recover that onside kick and run out the clock (because the Saints seem to like waiting to the last minute to pull out victories). I like what I see in this Rams team: they play with a ruthlessness that is kinda refreshing in a team that has struggled for so long. With the Seahawks D falling apart, I'm finally convinced the Rams are gonna take the NFC West. But I'm still kinda lukewarm on the Saints. That offense has its moments and the defense is much improved this year, they've got a great QB, a solid coach and a nice influx of youth, but...that propensity to wait til the last minute is troubling. They don't control games, they hang around and it feels like they should be better than that so while they feel like they've got the right vibe, I'm not yet feeling it.
Packer 28-31 Steelers
I've been saying the whole time that Hundley is not bad, he just doesn't yet know what he's doing and he's trying to learn in the most desperate of circumstances (and we're realizing that the Packers without Rodgers are simply not very good). He finally had the game I thought he was capable of and they almost pulled it out. That said, the Steelers are the classic just-good-enough kinda team and even though their best is as good as anyone in the league, they hardly ever play their best, which gives even so-so squads like the Packers a shot at pulling out a victory. The Steelers did enough to win but the Packers gave 'em a scare and I think there's just enough time left for them to get something rolling. I'm not ready to give up on the Packers just yet and while I have to acknowledge the Steelers are in the top two in the AFC, I think there's a widening gap between 1 and 2.
Other results (surprising):
Bills 16-10 Chiefs
The Bills D has been getting smacked around lately (although can we really blame them for the Chargers game when their QB throws 5 interceptions? They never had a chance!) and making puzzling moves on the offense lately made it feel like the Bills were heading in the wrong direction. Fortunately for them, the Chiefs are even more heading in the wrong direction! Can't remember a team that looked so offensively dominant for 6 weeks and then so fucking horrible for 6 weeks, but that offense just does not move the ball any more. Thought the Buffalo D would be an opportunity for them to turn it around but, uh, nope, turned it was Buffalo's opportunity. The Bills have re-emerged in the playoff picture (two games left against New England isn't gonna help) while the Chiefs are suddenly at fingernail depth on their post-season chances.
Texans 16-23 Ravens
Whatever happened in this game was going to be a surprise because I don't even know who the Texans are any more after all their injuries and the Ravens are such a Jekyll and Hyde squad, I had no idea whether they'd look good tonight or not. The Ravens jumped back ahead of the Bills in Wild Card race, can't see them catching the Steelers and they may struggle to stay ahead of the Bengals. We'll see.
Other results (not so surprising):
Titans 20-16 Colts
The Titans, like the Steelers, do just enough to win, which is fine when you're playing the Colts but I don't think that bodes well for them in the post-season. The Colts suck and even when they don't suck, they still tend to find ways to give games away.
Bears 3-31 Eagles
The Bears suck. The offense has some upside and I still like the D line, a coaching change will serve them well next year. The Eagles are legit good on both sides of the ball. Wentz is probably the most improved player in the league (neck and neck with Jared Goff, right?), the D is one of the best in the league and the rest of the skill positions are falling into place. The Eagles are looking like #1 in the NFC.
Panthers 35-27 Jets
Ugh! What a terrible game! I caught the end of this where the Jets were trying as hard as they could to give them game away and the Panthers only half-heartedly took it. The Panthers are winning but I can't for the life of me figure out how, the rest of their schedule is a buzzsaw and I think they're about to get sliced. The Jets are actually not as awful as I thought they'd be. I mean...that's something, right?
Dolphins 17-35 Patriots
Tom Brady gets beat up more this year than I remembered in the past--and that's considering that he moves better than he used to. The Dolphins D (re: Suh) has nothing better to do than snap him in half, which is really the only thing that could trip up the Pats right now. The Dolphins are another one of those teams that really aren't that bad when they're not going out of their way to be bad, is bringing back Tannehill the golden ticket for them?
Bucs 20-34 Falcons
The Falcons offense is better than its been, they've got good momentum heading into a lot of extremely meaningful division games, but they're not as good as last year, not all the ills are healed. I think they get past the Panthers and Seahawks, though. We'll see. The Bucs suck, they have moments of quality football but they never look like they're going to win.
Seahawks 24-13 Niners
The Niners had to bring in Garropolo but you could tell they didn't really want to. They've pretty much announced they're going franchise tag him next year, so he'll get a big paycheck while the team decides if he really is the guy for the future (I suspect he is), but for now there's no reason to interrupt that bid for a top 5 draft pick to go with their shiny new QB. I don't blame them. They suck anyway, why bother to try to win now? As for the Seahawks, that defense is steadily crumbling and they still haven't figured out the offensive line. Its all on Russell Wilson (if they make the playoffs he needs some serious MVP discussion) and with the Falcons playing well (and the Packers figuring it out?), its gonna be tough for them to salvage this season.
Jags 24-27 Cards
Strangely similar teams: good defenses, shaky QBs, offenses that rely on the running game. Neither team is very good nor really bad. The Jags should probably make the playoffs (but will undoubtedly get smoked badly right away) while the Cards have no shot at anything good any time soon.
Broncos 14-21 Raiders
One of these teams is falling apart while the other is suddenly back in the playoff race, but this game is not much of an indicator of which is which.
Won (covered): Vikings, Chargers, Redskins, Falcons, Bengals, Titans, Bills, Pats, Panthers, Eagles, Seahawks, Raiders, Rams, Cards
Won (didn't cover): Steelers, Ravens
Lost (covered): Packers, Texans
Lost (didn't cover): Lions, cowboys, Giants, Bucs, Browns, Colts, Chiefs, Dolphins, Jets, Bears, Niners, Broncos, Saints, Jags
2017-18 NCAA Football (Week 13)
(1) Alabama 14-26 (6) Auburn
Impressive win for Auburn. Coming out of the 2nd half, Alabama went right down and scored to regain the lead and it felt like the Tide was gonna roll. But Auburn answered and when Alabama muffed a FG, Auburn rode the momentum smothering Bama down the stretch. Alabama's QB didn't look comfortable in the pocket, he runs well but I thought he was too eager to run instead of pushing the ball downfield and what was up with two straight bad snaps in crunch time? Okay, this sets up Alabama as a potential to sneak into the playoff even without making it to the SEC final. I like Auburn's chances to thump Georgia once more and head on into the playoff.
(3) Clemson 34-10 (24) South Carolina
Clemson have lucked their way back to the top of the rankings, right as they head into the ACC final against Miami. I've thought Clemson was a top-4 team all year long but after that puzzling loss to Syracuse, I thought they might not get back into it. But here they are, sailing in possibly as #1 overall. As for South Carolina...uh....stay gold, pony boy.
(8) Notre Dame 20-38 (21) Stanford
This was one last chance for Notre Dame to sneak their way into the playoff--long shot but not impossible--but getting drilled by Stanford was not a good way to finish off the season. Narrow loss to Georgia, looked good against their weaker competition, but getting tagged by Miami and Stanford drops them pretty deep into the second tier. Stanford did not really register with me all year long (frankly the PAC was a big ol' pile of nothing special, I thought), but picking up a top ten W heading into their rematch with Southern Cal is nice. I see no scenario where Stanford gets into the playoff but if they can drop a bomb on USC, they'll definitely snag a top quality bowl.
(13) Washington State 14-41 (17) Washington
Man, Cougars did not show up for this one. Needed to take this one to get into the Pac-12 final and they were never in this game. It seems like the entire PAC was pretty good but not all that this season and the difference between these two teams was razor thin. That said, Huskies clearly wanted this one more.
Top 25
Handled their business
(3) Clemson, (4) Oklahoma, (5) Wisconsin, (6) Auburn, (7) Georgia, (9) Ohio State, (10) Penn State, (12) TCU, (15) Central Florida (dubbed by some the game of the year), (16) Michigan State, (17) Washington, (18) LSU, (19) Oklahoma State, (20) Memphis, (21) Stanford, (22) Northwestern, (25) Virginia Tech
Not so good
(1) Alabama. Still got a shot at the playoff--maybe better than if they'd won!
(2) Miami. They get up for the big games but are curiously sloppy in the low key contests. That would seem to bode well for their ACC final against Clemson, except that I think Clemson is way better.
(8) Notre Dame. Yeah, they had a shot at something special but a no-show this week finished them off.
(13) Washington State. Needed this one, did not get it.
(14) Mississippi State. Lost to their in-state rival, came close to having a really good year.
(23) Boise State. In and out of the top 25 all year long.
(24) South Carolina. Yeah, no reason they should've been ranked this high at this point.
Next week's games
(14) Stanford @ (11) Southern Cal
Down the stretch I think Stanford is playing better and are well-positioned to avenge their loss to USC earlier this year. Southern Cal came into the year with (absurdly) high expectations, honestly their best W all year was thumping Stanford early on. All the PAC teams look pretty much the same to me so I'll stick with Stanford (+3) to win.
(10) TCU @ (2) Oklahoma
I'm not convinced that Oklahoma is vastly better than their Big 12 competition but they have endured more than everyone else and their QB is balling out right now. TCU has an explosive offense but it disappears from time to time. If Oklahoma turns the ball over, TCU could get some momentum going and pile up some points, but I still like Oklahoma (-7) to get the W.
(5) Georgia @ (4) Auburn
To my eye Georgia is overrated every year. Much like St. John's in NCAA basketball, Georgia is a school that all the scribes have heard of and that alone manages to sneak them into the pre-season prognostications. But this year I was impressed with Georgia's ability to roll with what they encountered until they played Auburn (and also before it became apparent that the SEC East was as bad as I think I've ever seen it). Auburn, on the other hand, dropped a game to Clemson (one of the best teams in the country) and had an odd fail at LSU, but have otherwise easily bested everyone they've played including #1 Alabama. I think Auburn is the better team overall and they're playing better right now. I'll go with Auburn (-2.5) to control this game throughout.
(7) Miami @ (1) Clemson
Miami has annoyed me all year long: I thought nothing of their long winning streak of barely squeaking past so-so opponents, figuring that Virginia Tech and Notre Dame would trip them up; not only did that not happen, Miami dropped bombs on the only two good teams they played this year. But they finally got burned by not-even-any-good Pittsburgh ahead of the ACC final. Clemson is good. So will Miami show up and dropkick Clemson? I'm not seeing it. I think Clemson has been properly chastened by their head-scratching loss to Syracuse and will resume their quest to repeat as champions. I like Clemson (-10) to win easily (though I'm a little queasy about a double digit spread in a championship game).
(8) Ohio State @ (3) Wisconsin
Ohio State is a weird one: some weeks they look like classic Buckeyes, but just as often they look like they're just hanging on. This makes them the most unpredictable team: they might be great or they might be terrible and there's no real reason for either! Wisconsin, on the other hand, is clockwork week after week: run up the middle then stuff the opponent with their standup D-line (the old school Nebraska playbook). My gut is Ohio State's best is better than Wisconsin's best but that Wisconsin's average is decidedly better than Ohio State's average. So is this a big game or an average game? I think I'll take average. I think Wisconsin (+5.5) plays their game, grinds down the Buckeyes and exploits whatever mistakes they can cause.
So how's playoff looking? I'll go with Clemson, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Auburn.
Impressive win for Auburn. Coming out of the 2nd half, Alabama went right down and scored to regain the lead and it felt like the Tide was gonna roll. But Auburn answered and when Alabama muffed a FG, Auburn rode the momentum smothering Bama down the stretch. Alabama's QB didn't look comfortable in the pocket, he runs well but I thought he was too eager to run instead of pushing the ball downfield and what was up with two straight bad snaps in crunch time? Okay, this sets up Alabama as a potential to sneak into the playoff even without making it to the SEC final. I like Auburn's chances to thump Georgia once more and head on into the playoff.
(3) Clemson 34-10 (24) South Carolina
Clemson have lucked their way back to the top of the rankings, right as they head into the ACC final against Miami. I've thought Clemson was a top-4 team all year long but after that puzzling loss to Syracuse, I thought they might not get back into it. But here they are, sailing in possibly as #1 overall. As for South Carolina...uh....stay gold, pony boy.
(8) Notre Dame 20-38 (21) Stanford
This was one last chance for Notre Dame to sneak their way into the playoff--long shot but not impossible--but getting drilled by Stanford was not a good way to finish off the season. Narrow loss to Georgia, looked good against their weaker competition, but getting tagged by Miami and Stanford drops them pretty deep into the second tier. Stanford did not really register with me all year long (frankly the PAC was a big ol' pile of nothing special, I thought), but picking up a top ten W heading into their rematch with Southern Cal is nice. I see no scenario where Stanford gets into the playoff but if they can drop a bomb on USC, they'll definitely snag a top quality bowl.
(13) Washington State 14-41 (17) Washington
Man, Cougars did not show up for this one. Needed to take this one to get into the Pac-12 final and they were never in this game. It seems like the entire PAC was pretty good but not all that this season and the difference between these two teams was razor thin. That said, Huskies clearly wanted this one more.
Top 25
Handled their business
(3) Clemson, (4) Oklahoma, (5) Wisconsin, (6) Auburn, (7) Georgia, (9) Ohio State, (10) Penn State, (12) TCU, (15) Central Florida (dubbed by some the game of the year), (16) Michigan State, (17) Washington, (18) LSU, (19) Oklahoma State, (20) Memphis, (21) Stanford, (22) Northwestern, (25) Virginia Tech
Not so good
(1) Alabama. Still got a shot at the playoff--maybe better than if they'd won!
(2) Miami. They get up for the big games but are curiously sloppy in the low key contests. That would seem to bode well for their ACC final against Clemson, except that I think Clemson is way better.
(8) Notre Dame. Yeah, they had a shot at something special but a no-show this week finished them off.
(13) Washington State. Needed this one, did not get it.
(14) Mississippi State. Lost to their in-state rival, came close to having a really good year.
(23) Boise State. In and out of the top 25 all year long.
(24) South Carolina. Yeah, no reason they should've been ranked this high at this point.
Next week's games
(14) Stanford @ (11) Southern Cal
Down the stretch I think Stanford is playing better and are well-positioned to avenge their loss to USC earlier this year. Southern Cal came into the year with (absurdly) high expectations, honestly their best W all year was thumping Stanford early on. All the PAC teams look pretty much the same to me so I'll stick with Stanford (+3) to win.
(10) TCU @ (2) Oklahoma
I'm not convinced that Oklahoma is vastly better than their Big 12 competition but they have endured more than everyone else and their QB is balling out right now. TCU has an explosive offense but it disappears from time to time. If Oklahoma turns the ball over, TCU could get some momentum going and pile up some points, but I still like Oklahoma (-7) to get the W.
(5) Georgia @ (4) Auburn
To my eye Georgia is overrated every year. Much like St. John's in NCAA basketball, Georgia is a school that all the scribes have heard of and that alone manages to sneak them into the pre-season prognostications. But this year I was impressed with Georgia's ability to roll with what they encountered until they played Auburn (and also before it became apparent that the SEC East was as bad as I think I've ever seen it). Auburn, on the other hand, dropped a game to Clemson (one of the best teams in the country) and had an odd fail at LSU, but have otherwise easily bested everyone they've played including #1 Alabama. I think Auburn is the better team overall and they're playing better right now. I'll go with Auburn (-2.5) to control this game throughout.
(7) Miami @ (1) Clemson
Miami has annoyed me all year long: I thought nothing of their long winning streak of barely squeaking past so-so opponents, figuring that Virginia Tech and Notre Dame would trip them up; not only did that not happen, Miami dropped bombs on the only two good teams they played this year. But they finally got burned by not-even-any-good Pittsburgh ahead of the ACC final. Clemson is good. So will Miami show up and dropkick Clemson? I'm not seeing it. I think Clemson has been properly chastened by their head-scratching loss to Syracuse and will resume their quest to repeat as champions. I like Clemson (-10) to win easily (though I'm a little queasy about a double digit spread in a championship game).
(8) Ohio State @ (3) Wisconsin
Ohio State is a weird one: some weeks they look like classic Buckeyes, but just as often they look like they're just hanging on. This makes them the most unpredictable team: they might be great or they might be terrible and there's no real reason for either! Wisconsin, on the other hand, is clockwork week after week: run up the middle then stuff the opponent with their standup D-line (the old school Nebraska playbook). My gut is Ohio State's best is better than Wisconsin's best but that Wisconsin's average is decidedly better than Ohio State's average. So is this a big game or an average game? I think I'll take average. I think Wisconsin (+5.5) plays their game, grinds down the Buckeyes and exploits whatever mistakes they can cause.
So how's playoff looking? I'll go with Clemson, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Auburn.
Thursday, November 23, 2017
2017-18 NBA Bric-a-Brac (Week 5)
Signings
Robert Covington (Sixers) signs extension 4yrs/$62m. I like Covington, $15m/per seems like a lot to pay him but someone would've paid him. Good move for the Sixers.
Mavs waive Gian Clavell; sign Antonius Clevland to a 2-way contract. Clavell played less then 70 undistinguished minutes in the NBA, looks like he's finished his cup o' coffee. I have no idea who Cleveland is, welcome to the league.
Injuries
Okaro White (Heat) had surgery on a broken foot, estimated to be out for a least a few months.
D'Angelo Russell (Nets) had knee surgery, no timetable for his return. (Doesn't seem to be a long time off the court, but does raise the likelihood that the Nets will apply for an injury exception based on losing Jeremy Lin)
Delon Wright (Raptors) out indefinitely with dislocated shoulder.
Patrick Beverley (Clippers) out for the season following knee surgery. Man, the injury/rotation woes of the Clippers just keep piling up.
Robert Covington (Sixers) signs extension 4yrs/$62m. I like Covington, $15m/per seems like a lot to pay him but someone would've paid him. Good move for the Sixers.
Mavs waive Gian Clavell; sign Antonius Clevland to a 2-way contract. Clavell played less then 70 undistinguished minutes in the NBA, looks like he's finished his cup o' coffee. I have no idea who Cleveland is, welcome to the league.
Injuries
Okaro White (Heat) had surgery on a broken foot, estimated to be out for a least a few months.
D'Angelo Russell (Nets) had knee surgery, no timetable for his return. (Doesn't seem to be a long time off the court, but does raise the likelihood that the Nets will apply for an injury exception based on losing Jeremy Lin)
Delon Wright (Raptors) out indefinitely with dislocated shoulder.
Patrick Beverley (Clippers) out for the season following knee surgery. Man, the injury/rotation woes of the Clippers just keep piling up.
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
2017-18 NFL (Week 11)
Games I watched (some of):
Redskins 31-34 (OT) Saints
The Redskins....man....they had this game won, the game was over, all they had to do was run it out. They gave the Saints just enough room to come back and that's all it took. Still not sure about eh Saints: obviously at times they look explosive and good enough to beat anyone, but they still seem over their head somehow. I'm sure they're a playoff team, well on their way to winning the division and the Eagles, Rams and Vikings are not experienced squads, I guess they could make a run. But I'm not convinced just yet.
Ravens 23-0 Packers
Ugh! The problem with Brett Hundley is he isn't that bad. He's got good feet, moves well in the pocket, rolls out of the pocket like he's been watching Aaron Rodgers his entire career. But once he moves he...I dunno...he doesn't trust his arm or his vision or his receivers so that when he does make a move its two seconds too late and at best goes nowhere. The Ravens, meanwhile, didn't even play particularly well and looked like a playoff team. Man, this was no fun to watch.
Eagles 37-9 Cowboys
Cowboys held them close in the first half but the Eagles straight pounded them in the 2nd half. Dak doesn't look healthy, looks tentative and he just doesn't have the time or the playmkers to get much done out there. The Eagles look well-drilled on both sides, still the tops in the NFC, while the Cowboys look like they're headed toward a searching for a new coach.
Other results (surprising):
Bucs 30-20 Dolphins
Where did the Bucs get 30 points from? Is Jameis holding them back? The Dolphins just keep getting worse, one of these teams that isn't bad enough to lose this bad but not good enough to win as good as they do. Weird. Bucs are done, Dolphins still have time in the lackluster AFC.
Chiefs 9-12 (OT) Giants
Okay, time for the Chiefs to start worrying. They've still got time to get it back together (Bills coming to town next week is either the death blow or the perfect opportunity to right the ship), it could be that cratering in Novemeber is the best thing that ever happened to them. But this game was awful: couldn't move the ball, made dumb mistakes, created no luck, didn't make plays. Poor performances all the way around. The Giants--hey, they looked good, right? No. Not particularly. They still stunk and won and that makes no sense at all.
Other results (not so surprising):
Titans 17-40 Steelers
The Steelers are capable of this kind of performance and yet do it so rarely, why is that? The Titans are a nice team but they're still many pieces away from being a worthwhile squad, even in the AFC.
Lions 27-24 Bears
The Bears had their shot to stay alive but blew it. We can say that was disappointing but they're not a very good team. Have they underachieved or overachieved? Not sure. The Lions are up and down, this was a lucky one for them and they needed it.
Jags 19-7 Browns
The Jags don't score much, do they? That D is tip top but that offense needs to run, run, run to get anywhere at all. Kudos to the Browns, they're playing hard again and that's good to see, they'll get a win pretty soon I reckon.
Cards 21-31 Texans
I thought the Cards had a shot in this game but these are two bad teams that expected to be good teams. Kinda sad.
Rams 7-24 Vikings
Wish I'd gotten to see this game. Close in the 1st half but the Viking D shut down the Rams in the 2nd half, good win for the Vikings. I think the Vikings have the best shot of knocking off the Eagles.
Bills 24-54 Chargers
Bills went with a QB change...why? What could've happened that would've made the difference? If the rookie goes into LA and ekes out a W, does that mean the season is saved? Does that mean all the problems have been solved? No. So why take out Tyrod? Look, I get it: Tyrod is a very capable 2nd string QB but not a starter. But he's the guy they got now, all their wins came with him under center and he is certainly not the problem. Dumb move that made a hard game harder. The Chargers are still very much in the race, they've got a really good D-line and a veteran QB and that puts them in the mix in the AFC.
Bengals 20-17 Broncos
Two bad teams looking bad at the same time. The Bengals have moments of competent play but not enough to think they're gonna make the playoffs. The Broncos are going backwards very quickly.
Patriots 33-8 Raiders (in Mexico City)
The Pats continue to round into shape. The Raiders have been disappointing all year long and I don't see why that would turn around in the next month (although the AFC is unusually awful).
Falcons 34-31 Seahawks
Okay, are the Falcons gonna get hot enough to steal a playoff spot? The Seahawks are losing defensive stalwarts and that O-line still sucks, but they should still get a spot in the post-season.
Redskins 31-34 (OT) Saints
The Redskins....man....they had this game won, the game was over, all they had to do was run it out. They gave the Saints just enough room to come back and that's all it took. Still not sure about eh Saints: obviously at times they look explosive and good enough to beat anyone, but they still seem over their head somehow. I'm sure they're a playoff team, well on their way to winning the division and the Eagles, Rams and Vikings are not experienced squads, I guess they could make a run. But I'm not convinced just yet.
Ravens 23-0 Packers
Ugh! The problem with Brett Hundley is he isn't that bad. He's got good feet, moves well in the pocket, rolls out of the pocket like he's been watching Aaron Rodgers his entire career. But once he moves he...I dunno...he doesn't trust his arm or his vision or his receivers so that when he does make a move its two seconds too late and at best goes nowhere. The Ravens, meanwhile, didn't even play particularly well and looked like a playoff team. Man, this was no fun to watch.
Eagles 37-9 Cowboys
Cowboys held them close in the first half but the Eagles straight pounded them in the 2nd half. Dak doesn't look healthy, looks tentative and he just doesn't have the time or the playmkers to get much done out there. The Eagles look well-drilled on both sides, still the tops in the NFC, while the Cowboys look like they're headed toward a searching for a new coach.
Other results (surprising):
Bucs 30-20 Dolphins
Where did the Bucs get 30 points from? Is Jameis holding them back? The Dolphins just keep getting worse, one of these teams that isn't bad enough to lose this bad but not good enough to win as good as they do. Weird. Bucs are done, Dolphins still have time in the lackluster AFC.
Chiefs 9-12 (OT) Giants
Okay, time for the Chiefs to start worrying. They've still got time to get it back together (Bills coming to town next week is either the death blow or the perfect opportunity to right the ship), it could be that cratering in Novemeber is the best thing that ever happened to them. But this game was awful: couldn't move the ball, made dumb mistakes, created no luck, didn't make plays. Poor performances all the way around. The Giants--hey, they looked good, right? No. Not particularly. They still stunk and won and that makes no sense at all.
Other results (not so surprising):
Titans 17-40 Steelers
The Steelers are capable of this kind of performance and yet do it so rarely, why is that? The Titans are a nice team but they're still many pieces away from being a worthwhile squad, even in the AFC.
Lions 27-24 Bears
The Bears had their shot to stay alive but blew it. We can say that was disappointing but they're not a very good team. Have they underachieved or overachieved? Not sure. The Lions are up and down, this was a lucky one for them and they needed it.
Jags 19-7 Browns
The Jags don't score much, do they? That D is tip top but that offense needs to run, run, run to get anywhere at all. Kudos to the Browns, they're playing hard again and that's good to see, they'll get a win pretty soon I reckon.
Cards 21-31 Texans
I thought the Cards had a shot in this game but these are two bad teams that expected to be good teams. Kinda sad.
Rams 7-24 Vikings
Wish I'd gotten to see this game. Close in the 1st half but the Viking D shut down the Rams in the 2nd half, good win for the Vikings. I think the Vikings have the best shot of knocking off the Eagles.
Bills 24-54 Chargers
Bills went with a QB change...why? What could've happened that would've made the difference? If the rookie goes into LA and ekes out a W, does that mean the season is saved? Does that mean all the problems have been solved? No. So why take out Tyrod? Look, I get it: Tyrod is a very capable 2nd string QB but not a starter. But he's the guy they got now, all their wins came with him under center and he is certainly not the problem. Dumb move that made a hard game harder. The Chargers are still very much in the race, they've got a really good D-line and a veteran QB and that puts them in the mix in the AFC.
Bengals 20-17 Broncos
Two bad teams looking bad at the same time. The Bengals have moments of competent play but not enough to think they're gonna make the playoffs. The Broncos are going backwards very quickly.
Patriots 33-8 Raiders (in Mexico City)
The Pats continue to round into shape. The Raiders have been disappointing all year long and I don't see why that would turn around in the next month (although the AFC is unusually awful).
Falcons 34-31 Seahawks
Okay, are the Falcons gonna get hot enough to steal a playoff spot? The Seahawks are losing defensive stalwarts and that O-line still sucks, but they should still get a spot in the post-season.
Sunday, November 19, 2017
2017-18 NCAA Football (Week 12)
(24) Michigan 10-24 (5) Wisconsin
Wolverines held the Badgers close til halftime but they just don't have enough offense to control the clock or win the field position battle. It was just a matter of time before Wisconsin ground them down. Michigan still has one last high profile game with Ohio State next week; Wisconsin has one last tuneup game at Minnesota before facing the Buckeyes in the Big 10 final in two weeks.
Top 25
Handled their business
(1) Alabama, (2) Clemson, (3) Miami, (4) Oklahoma, (5) Wisconsin, (6) Auburn, (7) Georgia, (8) Notre Dame, (9) Ohio State, (10) Penn State, (11) Southern Cal, (12) TCU, (15) Central Florida, (16) Mississippi State, (17) Michigan State, (18) Washington, (20) LSU, (21) Memphis, (22) Stanford, (24) Northwestern, (25) Boise State
Not so good
(13) Oklahoma State. Came back late to make a game of it but they spotted Kansas State way too many points to make up.
(19) North Carolina State. They've had some good wins and some bad losses, Wake is playing well lately, should've seen this one coming.
Playoff as of now:
Oklahoma (they're already in, right?)
Auburn-Alabama-Georgia (I'll go with Alabama but they do still have their two toughest games ahead)
Clemson-Miami (I'll go with Clemson though Miami has looked good in the big games)
Wisconsin-Ohio State (Wisconsin is an easy call if they win, but Ohio State might need some good faith to get to the final four)
I'm not seeing Central Florida or the Pac-12 champ getting any love. I guess if Notre Dame throttles Stanford (on the road) and Ohio State barely squeaks by Wisconsin in an ugly game and Miami beats Clemson, maybe the Irish get some support, but that feels like a long shot.
Next week's interesting games
(1) Alabama @ (6) Auburn
Basically an SEC semi-final game: winner plays Georgia in the SEC final
(9) Notre Dame @ (20) Stanford
Strangely meaningless contest: Stanford's going to the Pac-12 final and Notre Dame goes to a good bowl game regardless of this outcome (though its in their best interest to get a big win, if possible)
(22) South Florida @ (13) Central Florida
Similar to the SEC, South Florida still has a shot at going to the American Conference championship against Memphis if they can get past Central Florida
(15) Washington State @ (14) Washington
If State wins they face Stanford in the Pac-12 final, Washington only gets bragging rights and spoiler status at home
Wolverines held the Badgers close til halftime but they just don't have enough offense to control the clock or win the field position battle. It was just a matter of time before Wisconsin ground them down. Michigan still has one last high profile game with Ohio State next week; Wisconsin has one last tuneup game at Minnesota before facing the Buckeyes in the Big 10 final in two weeks.
Top 25
Handled their business
(1) Alabama, (2) Clemson, (3) Miami, (4) Oklahoma, (5) Wisconsin, (6) Auburn, (7) Georgia, (8) Notre Dame, (9) Ohio State, (10) Penn State, (11) Southern Cal, (12) TCU, (15) Central Florida, (16) Mississippi State, (17) Michigan State, (18) Washington, (20) LSU, (21) Memphis, (22) Stanford, (24) Northwestern, (25) Boise State
Not so good
(13) Oklahoma State. Came back late to make a game of it but they spotted Kansas State way too many points to make up.
(19) North Carolina State. They've had some good wins and some bad losses, Wake is playing well lately, should've seen this one coming.
Playoff as of now:
Oklahoma (they're already in, right?)
Auburn-Alabama-Georgia (I'll go with Alabama but they do still have their two toughest games ahead)
Clemson-Miami (I'll go with Clemson though Miami has looked good in the big games)
Wisconsin-Ohio State (Wisconsin is an easy call if they win, but Ohio State might need some good faith to get to the final four)
I'm not seeing Central Florida or the Pac-12 champ getting any love. I guess if Notre Dame throttles Stanford (on the road) and Ohio State barely squeaks by Wisconsin in an ugly game and Miami beats Clemson, maybe the Irish get some support, but that feels like a long shot.
Next week's interesting games
(1) Alabama @ (6) Auburn
Basically an SEC semi-final game: winner plays Georgia in the SEC final
(9) Notre Dame @ (20) Stanford
Strangely meaningless contest: Stanford's going to the Pac-12 final and Notre Dame goes to a good bowl game regardless of this outcome (though its in their best interest to get a big win, if possible)
(22) South Florida @ (13) Central Florida
Similar to the SEC, South Florida still has a shot at going to the American Conference championship against Memphis if they can get past Central Florida
(15) Washington State @ (14) Washington
If State wins they face Stanford in the Pac-12 final, Washington only gets bragging rights and spoiler status at home
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
2017-18 NBA Awards Watch (Week 4)
ROY
Up to 72 debuts in the NBA this year. 3 more this week: Matt Csotello (Spurs), CJ Williams (Clippers), Furkan Korkmaz (Sixers).
Only 1 rookie currently above 30MPG, 15PPG, 9RPG, 7APG, 70 total FTA, 20 total Steals: Ben Simmons (Sixers). (One suggestion: Ben, work on your FT shooting, it's good for developing your jumper and it's where a lot of your points are going to come. You're not fulfilling your full awesomeness til you start knocking down some gimmes)
Lauri Markkanen (Bulls), Dennis Smith (Mavs), Lonzo Ball (Lakers), Jaysun Tatum (Celtics), Donovan Mitchell (Jazz) are having fine seasons and John Collins (Hawks) and Kyle Kuzma (Lakers) are legitimately joining the rookie buzz.
MVP
As of now 5 legit candidates: James Harden (Rockets), DeMarcus Cousins (Pelicans), Lebron James (Cavs), Giannis Antetokounpo (Bucks) and Ben Simmons (Sixers). (Yeah, I said it)
DPOY
Among the league leaders in Defensive Rebounds, Steals and Blocks: DeMarcus Cousins (Pelicans), Andre Drummond (Pistons), Giannis Antetokounpo (Bucks) and Anthony Davis (Pelicans). Throw in Lebron James (Cavs) and Rudy Gobert (Jazz) and that would seem to round out the candidates so far.
6th Man
Kyle Kuzma (Lakers) is a pretty good rebounder off the bench, reliable shooter close to the basket (kinda disappointing 3P% at the moment). Will Barton (Nuggets) is shooting well from 3PT and 2PT (though strangely mediocre from FT), 2:1 Asst:TO rate. Kelly Oubre (Wizards) shoots well off the bench and pretty good rebounder too (though not terribly noteworthy on defense or as a ball handler). Terry Rozier (Celtics), sure handed with the ball, decent rebounder (though not scoring particularly well). Marco Belinelli (Hawks) is tearing it up from 3PT and the FT, excellent Asst:TO, the kind of reliable vet off the bench that every coach dreams of. Tyreke Evans (Grizzlies), shooting at a good % and taking care of the ball. Jonathon Simmons (Magic), more turnovers then you'd like off the bench but scoring well. Lou Williams (Lakers) is shooting well (and not too much!) and handling the ball well, not bad. Cory Joseph (Pacers) is shooting well with a 2:1 asst:to. Combined with Darren Collison, the Pacers are getting really good PG play. James Johnson (Heat) has been one of my favorite players to watch for a few years now and he's still good with the ball and shooting well. Rudy Gay (Spurs) is kinda reminding me of LaMarcus Aldridge with more handle. (Listen: I still think Aldridge is underappreciated in San Antonio and can be the center of the offense and with Gay mimicking him off the bench, I think the Spurs can keep this vibe going all year; though it seems like Dejounte Murray has regressed). TJ McConnell (Sixers) is another one of my favorite players to watch, so much energy, that dude just never stops moving. Solid asst:to but doesn't add a lot of points. Spencer Dinwidder (Nets) still with an impressive 70:14 asst:to. Andre Iguodala (Warriors) has a terrific asst:to, good rebound numbers and is clearly a trusted cog of an amazing machine, but, man, his 3PT shooting is unbelievably awful (4-22, yeech!) and is only averaging 1FTA. Doug McDermott (Knicks) and Kyle Korver (Cavs) have similar numbers and are both shooting really well (indeed, I'd say their success each has a lot to do with their teams' success). McDermott takes too many 2PT shots. Shelvin Mack (Magic) has 70:15 asst:to and double digit steals (not shooting particularly well though). Ish Smith (Pistons) 56:18 and shooting at a good %.
Coach
Brad Stevens (Celtics)
The Celtics are still tops in the East and leading the league in Opponents' PPG thanks to a game plan that works and a rotation that knows what its supposed to do.
Executive
Danny Ainge (Celtics)....hmm, that was easy.
Up to 72 debuts in the NBA this year. 3 more this week: Matt Csotello (Spurs), CJ Williams (Clippers), Furkan Korkmaz (Sixers).
Only 1 rookie currently above 30MPG, 15PPG, 9RPG, 7APG, 70 total FTA, 20 total Steals: Ben Simmons (Sixers). (One suggestion: Ben, work on your FT shooting, it's good for developing your jumper and it's where a lot of your points are going to come. You're not fulfilling your full awesomeness til you start knocking down some gimmes)
Lauri Markkanen (Bulls), Dennis Smith (Mavs), Lonzo Ball (Lakers), Jaysun Tatum (Celtics), Donovan Mitchell (Jazz) are having fine seasons and John Collins (Hawks) and Kyle Kuzma (Lakers) are legitimately joining the rookie buzz.
MVP
As of now 5 legit candidates: James Harden (Rockets), DeMarcus Cousins (Pelicans), Lebron James (Cavs), Giannis Antetokounpo (Bucks) and Ben Simmons (Sixers). (Yeah, I said it)
DPOY
Among the league leaders in Defensive Rebounds, Steals and Blocks: DeMarcus Cousins (Pelicans), Andre Drummond (Pistons), Giannis Antetokounpo (Bucks) and Anthony Davis (Pelicans). Throw in Lebron James (Cavs) and Rudy Gobert (Jazz) and that would seem to round out the candidates so far.
6th Man
Kyle Kuzma (Lakers) is a pretty good rebounder off the bench, reliable shooter close to the basket (kinda disappointing 3P% at the moment). Will Barton (Nuggets) is shooting well from 3PT and 2PT (though strangely mediocre from FT), 2:1 Asst:TO rate. Kelly Oubre (Wizards) shoots well off the bench and pretty good rebounder too (though not terribly noteworthy on defense or as a ball handler). Terry Rozier (Celtics), sure handed with the ball, decent rebounder (though not scoring particularly well). Marco Belinelli (Hawks) is tearing it up from 3PT and the FT, excellent Asst:TO, the kind of reliable vet off the bench that every coach dreams of. Tyreke Evans (Grizzlies), shooting at a good % and taking care of the ball. Jonathon Simmons (Magic), more turnovers then you'd like off the bench but scoring well. Lou Williams (Lakers) is shooting well (and not too much!) and handling the ball well, not bad. Cory Joseph (Pacers) is shooting well with a 2:1 asst:to. Combined with Darren Collison, the Pacers are getting really good PG play. James Johnson (Heat) has been one of my favorite players to watch for a few years now and he's still good with the ball and shooting well. Rudy Gay (Spurs) is kinda reminding me of LaMarcus Aldridge with more handle. (Listen: I still think Aldridge is underappreciated in San Antonio and can be the center of the offense and with Gay mimicking him off the bench, I think the Spurs can keep this vibe going all year; though it seems like Dejounte Murray has regressed). TJ McConnell (Sixers) is another one of my favorite players to watch, so much energy, that dude just never stops moving. Solid asst:to but doesn't add a lot of points. Spencer Dinwidder (Nets) still with an impressive 70:14 asst:to. Andre Iguodala (Warriors) has a terrific asst:to, good rebound numbers and is clearly a trusted cog of an amazing machine, but, man, his 3PT shooting is unbelievably awful (4-22, yeech!) and is only averaging 1FTA. Doug McDermott (Knicks) and Kyle Korver (Cavs) have similar numbers and are both shooting really well (indeed, I'd say their success each has a lot to do with their teams' success). McDermott takes too many 2PT shots. Shelvin Mack (Magic) has 70:15 asst:to and double digit steals (not shooting particularly well though). Ish Smith (Pistons) 56:18 and shooting at a good %.
Coach
Brad Stevens (Celtics)
The Celtics are still tops in the East and leading the league in Opponents' PPG thanks to a game plan that works and a rotation that knows what its supposed to do.
Executive
Danny Ainge (Celtics)....hmm, that was easy.
2017-18 NBA Bric-a-Brac (Week 4)
Waived
Knicks waived Mindaugus Kuzminksas to make room for Joakim Noah coming back from suspension.
Pelicans waived Josh Smith because he was a long shot to begin with and didn't add to the ambiance.
Injuries
CJ Wilcox (Blazers) has knee surgery, not sure when he'll be back.
Kyrie Irving (Celtics) suffered a facial fracture, missed a coupla games but should be back with one of those Bill Laimbeer masks.
Knicks waived Mindaugus Kuzminksas to make room for Joakim Noah coming back from suspension.
Pelicans waived Josh Smith because he was a long shot to begin with and didn't add to the ambiance.
Injuries
CJ Wilcox (Blazers) has knee surgery, not sure when he'll be back.
Kyrie Irving (Celtics) suffered a facial fracture, missed a coupla games but should be back with one of those Bill Laimbeer masks.
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
2017-18 NFL (Week 10)
Games I watched (some of):
Steelers 20-17 Colts
The Colts are in that place where even though they're not good, the reason they lose every week is because one dumb/fluke mistake. They've moved from being bad to just being unlucky. The Steelers, on the other hand, are more lucky than good--and well on their way to the playoffs! They had a play that blew my mind: scored a TD (off a total fluke interception at the 10 yard line), lined up for the 2-point, had to call a timeout because they couldn't get a play going, come back from the timeout and take a delay of game because they still didn't know what they were doing! WTF? How many 2-point variations do they even have? And why didn't they bother to pick one during the timeout? But, they scored the 2, tied the game and stayed alive to steal it in the end. They're hanging around and they may well win it all but if I was a Steeler fan, don't think I'd be super hyped about this squad.
Bengals 20-24 Titans
Titans are one of those teams that are not bad, they're not great but they hang around. They're getting better each year, definitely still in the playoff hunt, but don't seem terribly dangerous for now. Good work by Mariotta down the stretch to stick in the game winner late. The Bengals started slow, seemed like they were ready to get better on offense, and then...didn't. Like all NFL teams they have talent and aren't completely incapable of winning but have clearly shown they don't have a workable game plan. The Bengals are facing a full-on rebuild and now's probably a great time to do it because even as they bottom out, they should still be better than the Browns.
Cowboys 7-27 Falcons
Cowboys really missed their missing O-line guys (missed Zeke Elliot, too, but I think they can still win without him), Dak was running for his life all day, Cowboys never got any attack going at all. The Falcons finally looked good (sorta) on offense, there's still time for them to snag a wild card.
Pats 41-16 Broncos
Uh oh, this was the first game this year where the Pats looked like the Pats. And the real eye opener here is that the Broncos really didn't look that bad. The Broncos D is far from its recent Super Bowl winning form but the offense looked okay for the most part in this game, they just couldn't keep up. The special teams was all Pats: blocked punt, kick return TD, recovered a muffed punt early on. The Pats are stepping up and it's pretty clear there is no one in the AFC that can hang, I fully expect the Pats to be there again this year. The Broncos are done. Though the offense finally got something of a look to them, the D is not good enough, the team is sloppy, the vibe is turning sour and they're running out of time.
Other results (surprising):
Saints 47-10 Bills
Outdoors, in the cold, against a top notch defense, I'm surprised the Saints just straight crushed the Bills. Wouldn't have been surprised if the Saints eked out a tough one or even steadily controlled a closer game, but to just drop the hammer again and again lets me know that their running game is really good and their defense doesn't fold on the road. Impressive. As for the Bills, eh, I told you: a lot of 8-8 seasons in Buffalo have started out looking really good.
Other results (not so surprising):
Seahawks 22-16 Cards
The Cards are banged up (and old) but they're a veteran crew playing with pride at home, so actually a pretty good W for the Seahawks. Cards are done but the Seahawks are still looking good for a wild card.
Packers 23-16 Bears
Packers re-assert themselves in the wild card race with a good road win (first since Aaron Rodgers went down); if they can get a game plan going with Hundley, they still have time to sneak a spot. Felt like the Bears should've pulled this out but it didn't happen, I think we can officially rule them out in the NFC.
Browns 24-38 Lions
This game was closer than the score indicates, I think. Lions kinda piled it on late. The Lions are still in the race but my gut is they are just too inconsistent to keep it together; they look pretty good sometimes but I don't think they keep ahead of Seattle or Carolina or Green Bay. The Browns...I don't know if you noticed yet but they're not very good. Got another #1 pick on the way (maybe they can trade it for Kevin Love).
Chargers 17-20 (OT) Jags
I turned this game when Bortles threw a late interception, thought the game was iced for the Chargers...then I look up and the Jags are kicking the tying FG...wait.....what just...isn't the game over...over time, really?....Jags won the game. I dunno, man, I like the Jags defense and they're rounding into a decent team but Bortles is so bad and they just in general have such bonehead moments that they don't seem like a playoff team to me. But with the Texans losing Deshaun Watson and no one else in the AFC really stepping up, it looks like they're gonna be in the post-season. Don't think they're ready. As for the Chargers, they are the team that I thought the Ravens would be: every game is close, when they lose it's because they fucked up late and when they win it's because the other team fucked up late. They've got a veteran QB and a good D line but they just don't have a mechanism for finishing off wins (this game being a great example).
Jets 10-15 Bucs
These two teams are both awful. Amazing to me that I wasn't stuck watching this.
Vikings 38-30 Redskins
Kinda wish I'd seen this one. Seems like the Vikings pretty well controlled the game and that the closeness was because QB Keenum gave the ball away in the 2nd half. Telling ya: the Redskins are good when they're not being stupid. There's still time for them but it is tick-tick-ticking away. The Vikings are a nice slow, steady squad, not mind blowing but they handle the fundamentals well and they have a good vibe about them. They are best positioned to make the most of Aaron Rodgers' injury.
Texans 7-33 Rams
The Rams just keep getting better each week. Playoffs are not really for the young teams but the Rams look well-positioned to go deep. The Texans are just falling apart, they're well-positioned for next year.
Giants 21-31 Niners
Wow, the two worst non-Cleveland teams in the league. I saw none of this game and I'm glad about that.
Dolphins 21-45 Panthers
Okay, finally a breakout offensive game for the Panthers. I've thought all year that they should still be a playoff team in the NFC but tonight is the first time they've really looked good moving the ball. Not sure if the Dolphins are just falling apart or if this is the start of something for the Panthers (better late than never but they need to keep pace with the Saints). As for the Dolphins, well, they'll still have some chances against the Bills and Jets.
Steelers 20-17 Colts
The Colts are in that place where even though they're not good, the reason they lose every week is because one dumb/fluke mistake. They've moved from being bad to just being unlucky. The Steelers, on the other hand, are more lucky than good--and well on their way to the playoffs! They had a play that blew my mind: scored a TD (off a total fluke interception at the 10 yard line), lined up for the 2-point, had to call a timeout because they couldn't get a play going, come back from the timeout and take a delay of game because they still didn't know what they were doing! WTF? How many 2-point variations do they even have? And why didn't they bother to pick one during the timeout? But, they scored the 2, tied the game and stayed alive to steal it in the end. They're hanging around and they may well win it all but if I was a Steeler fan, don't think I'd be super hyped about this squad.
Bengals 20-24 Titans
Titans are one of those teams that are not bad, they're not great but they hang around. They're getting better each year, definitely still in the playoff hunt, but don't seem terribly dangerous for now. Good work by Mariotta down the stretch to stick in the game winner late. The Bengals started slow, seemed like they were ready to get better on offense, and then...didn't. Like all NFL teams they have talent and aren't completely incapable of winning but have clearly shown they don't have a workable game plan. The Bengals are facing a full-on rebuild and now's probably a great time to do it because even as they bottom out, they should still be better than the Browns.
Cowboys 7-27 Falcons
Cowboys really missed their missing O-line guys (missed Zeke Elliot, too, but I think they can still win without him), Dak was running for his life all day, Cowboys never got any attack going at all. The Falcons finally looked good (sorta) on offense, there's still time for them to snag a wild card.
Pats 41-16 Broncos
Uh oh, this was the first game this year where the Pats looked like the Pats. And the real eye opener here is that the Broncos really didn't look that bad. The Broncos D is far from its recent Super Bowl winning form but the offense looked okay for the most part in this game, they just couldn't keep up. The special teams was all Pats: blocked punt, kick return TD, recovered a muffed punt early on. The Pats are stepping up and it's pretty clear there is no one in the AFC that can hang, I fully expect the Pats to be there again this year. The Broncos are done. Though the offense finally got something of a look to them, the D is not good enough, the team is sloppy, the vibe is turning sour and they're running out of time.
Other results (surprising):
Saints 47-10 Bills
Outdoors, in the cold, against a top notch defense, I'm surprised the Saints just straight crushed the Bills. Wouldn't have been surprised if the Saints eked out a tough one or even steadily controlled a closer game, but to just drop the hammer again and again lets me know that their running game is really good and their defense doesn't fold on the road. Impressive. As for the Bills, eh, I told you: a lot of 8-8 seasons in Buffalo have started out looking really good.
Other results (not so surprising):
Seahawks 22-16 Cards
The Cards are banged up (and old) but they're a veteran crew playing with pride at home, so actually a pretty good W for the Seahawks. Cards are done but the Seahawks are still looking good for a wild card.
Packers 23-16 Bears
Packers re-assert themselves in the wild card race with a good road win (first since Aaron Rodgers went down); if they can get a game plan going with Hundley, they still have time to sneak a spot. Felt like the Bears should've pulled this out but it didn't happen, I think we can officially rule them out in the NFC.
Browns 24-38 Lions
This game was closer than the score indicates, I think. Lions kinda piled it on late. The Lions are still in the race but my gut is they are just too inconsistent to keep it together; they look pretty good sometimes but I don't think they keep ahead of Seattle or Carolina or Green Bay. The Browns...I don't know if you noticed yet but they're not very good. Got another #1 pick on the way (maybe they can trade it for Kevin Love).
Chargers 17-20 (OT) Jags
I turned this game when Bortles threw a late interception, thought the game was iced for the Chargers...then I look up and the Jags are kicking the tying FG...wait.....what just...isn't the game over...over time, really?....Jags won the game. I dunno, man, I like the Jags defense and they're rounding into a decent team but Bortles is so bad and they just in general have such bonehead moments that they don't seem like a playoff team to me. But with the Texans losing Deshaun Watson and no one else in the AFC really stepping up, it looks like they're gonna be in the post-season. Don't think they're ready. As for the Chargers, they are the team that I thought the Ravens would be: every game is close, when they lose it's because they fucked up late and when they win it's because the other team fucked up late. They've got a veteran QB and a good D line but they just don't have a mechanism for finishing off wins (this game being a great example).
Jets 10-15 Bucs
These two teams are both awful. Amazing to me that I wasn't stuck watching this.
Vikings 38-30 Redskins
Kinda wish I'd seen this one. Seems like the Vikings pretty well controlled the game and that the closeness was because QB Keenum gave the ball away in the 2nd half. Telling ya: the Redskins are good when they're not being stupid. There's still time for them but it is tick-tick-ticking away. The Vikings are a nice slow, steady squad, not mind blowing but they handle the fundamentals well and they have a good vibe about them. They are best positioned to make the most of Aaron Rodgers' injury.
Texans 7-33 Rams
The Rams just keep getting better each week. Playoffs are not really for the young teams but the Rams look well-positioned to go deep. The Texans are just falling apart, they're well-positioned for next year.
Giants 21-31 Niners
Wow, the two worst non-Cleveland teams in the league. I saw none of this game and I'm glad about that.
Dolphins 21-45 Panthers
Okay, finally a breakout offensive game for the Panthers. I've thought all year that they should still be a playoff team in the NFC but tonight is the first time they've really looked good moving the ball. Not sure if the Dolphins are just falling apart or if this is the start of something for the Panthers (better late than never but they need to keep pace with the Saints). As for the Dolphins, well, they'll still have some chances against the Bills and Jets.
Sunday, November 12, 2017
2017-18 NCAA Football (Week 11)
(1) Georgia 17-40 (10) Auburn
Wow, Georgia got drilled! Auburn moved the ball at will and dominated on defense. Auburn still has a shot to get past Alabama and set up a re-match with Georgia. Georgia faced their toughest opponent all year and did not look good. Still on track to get to the SEC championship, so still in the playoff hunt.
(2) Alabama 31-24 (16) Mississippi State
This Alabama team isn't as good as the classic Bama vintages but that doesn't mean they're not better than everyone else in the NCAA right now. Back to #1, still well on their way back to the national title. Game effort from Mississippi State, man, that SEC West is brutal! (Keep an eye on State to destroy some overrated squad in whatever bowl they end up in)
(3) Notre Dame 8-41 (7) Miami
I was skeptical of the Hurricanes but in the last two weeks they've made two good squads look pretty sorry. Fluke or is Miami really this good? The ACC is pretty much theirs. Notre Dame drops to the top of the 2-loss tier, still on track for a competitive high profile appearance.
(6) TCU 20-38 (5) Oklahoma
The Sooner offense was really impressive, I'm warming up to the Sooner chances of mixing it up in the playoff. TCU had their opportunities and couldn't convert.
(20) Iowa 14-38 (8) Wisconsin
The Badgers took a while to get going but once they did they pretty well smothered the Hawkeyes--good god, if they had avoided the turnovers they would've won by 50! If Wisconsin puts a beatdown on Ohio State in the Big 10 final then maybe I'll be ready to put them in the playoff but so far I haven't seen them play anybody. Still wondering how Iowa pulled off last week's shellacking of the Buckeyes, I saw nothing today that would make me think that was even possible.
(12) Michigan State 3-48 (13) Ohio State
The Buckeyes got back on the right track, still a Big 10 final ahead for them, if they can get some breaks in the form of other teams stinking it up in the last month, I think they can still weasel their way into the playoff. The Spartans probably overachieved for much of this season, but they got worked here: couldn't move the ball, couldn't get stops on D.
(15) Oklahoma State 49-42 (21) Iowa State
Fun game! Back and forth but in the end the Cowboys piled up more points. Both squads are pretty far down the dance card in the Big 12 though.
Top 25
Handled their business
(2) Alabama, (4) Clemson, (5) Oklahoma, (7) Miami, (8) Wisconsin, (10 ) Auburn, (11) Southern Cal, (13) Ohio State, (14) Penn State, (15) Oklahoma State, (18) Central Florida, (19) Washington State, (23) North Carolina State, (24) LSU, (25) Northwestern
Not so good
(1) Georgia. Still on the road to the SEC final.
(3) Notre Dame. Still gonna get a good bowl game.
(6) TCU. Definitively out of the mix in the Big 12.
(9) Washington. Who knows what's up with the Pac 12?
(12) Michigan State. Back to earth.
(16) Mississippi State. Best test Bama's had yet this year.
(17) Virginia Tech. Back-to-back disappointing performances.
(20) Iowa. Why were they ranked #20?
(21) Iowa State. Fun team, the wild card-i-est team of the season.
Next week's interesting games:
Uh....none. This past Saturday was pretty amazing in the notable matchups, guess the college football regular season is downhill from here. Beautiful stroke of luck that that so many scheduled contests were so compelling; and yet, so many of them turned out to be slaughters. Really surprised that Auburn and Miami laid such beatdowns on Georgia and Notre Dame, less surprised that Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Ohio State were able to run away from their opponents. I'm still convinced Clemson is probably in the top two but it doesn't look like they'll get a shot to get back into the playoffs. Darn shame.
Wow, Georgia got drilled! Auburn moved the ball at will and dominated on defense. Auburn still has a shot to get past Alabama and set up a re-match with Georgia. Georgia faced their toughest opponent all year and did not look good. Still on track to get to the SEC championship, so still in the playoff hunt.
(2) Alabama 31-24 (16) Mississippi State
This Alabama team isn't as good as the classic Bama vintages but that doesn't mean they're not better than everyone else in the NCAA right now. Back to #1, still well on their way back to the national title. Game effort from Mississippi State, man, that SEC West is brutal! (Keep an eye on State to destroy some overrated squad in whatever bowl they end up in)
(3) Notre Dame 8-41 (7) Miami
I was skeptical of the Hurricanes but in the last two weeks they've made two good squads look pretty sorry. Fluke or is Miami really this good? The ACC is pretty much theirs. Notre Dame drops to the top of the 2-loss tier, still on track for a competitive high profile appearance.
(6) TCU 20-38 (5) Oklahoma
The Sooner offense was really impressive, I'm warming up to the Sooner chances of mixing it up in the playoff. TCU had their opportunities and couldn't convert.
(20) Iowa 14-38 (8) Wisconsin
The Badgers took a while to get going but once they did they pretty well smothered the Hawkeyes--good god, if they had avoided the turnovers they would've won by 50! If Wisconsin puts a beatdown on Ohio State in the Big 10 final then maybe I'll be ready to put them in the playoff but so far I haven't seen them play anybody. Still wondering how Iowa pulled off last week's shellacking of the Buckeyes, I saw nothing today that would make me think that was even possible.
(12) Michigan State 3-48 (13) Ohio State
The Buckeyes got back on the right track, still a Big 10 final ahead for them, if they can get some breaks in the form of other teams stinking it up in the last month, I think they can still weasel their way into the playoff. The Spartans probably overachieved for much of this season, but they got worked here: couldn't move the ball, couldn't get stops on D.
(15) Oklahoma State 49-42 (21) Iowa State
Fun game! Back and forth but in the end the Cowboys piled up more points. Both squads are pretty far down the dance card in the Big 12 though.
Top 25
Handled their business
(2) Alabama, (4) Clemson, (5) Oklahoma, (7) Miami, (8) Wisconsin, (10 ) Auburn, (11) Southern Cal, (13) Ohio State, (14) Penn State, (15) Oklahoma State, (18) Central Florida, (19) Washington State, (23) North Carolina State, (24) LSU, (25) Northwestern
Not so good
(1) Georgia. Still on the road to the SEC final.
(3) Notre Dame. Still gonna get a good bowl game.
(6) TCU. Definitively out of the mix in the Big 12.
(9) Washington. Who knows what's up with the Pac 12?
(12) Michigan State. Back to earth.
(16) Mississippi State. Best test Bama's had yet this year.
(17) Virginia Tech. Back-to-back disappointing performances.
(20) Iowa. Why were they ranked #20?
(21) Iowa State. Fun team, the wild card-i-est team of the season.
Next week's interesting games:
Uh....none. This past Saturday was pretty amazing in the notable matchups, guess the college football regular season is downhill from here. Beautiful stroke of luck that that so many scheduled contests were so compelling; and yet, so many of them turned out to be slaughters. Really surprised that Auburn and Miami laid such beatdowns on Georgia and Notre Dame, less surprised that Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Ohio State were able to run away from their opponents. I'm still convinced Clemson is probably in the top two but it doesn't look like they'll get a shot to get back into the playoffs. Darn shame.
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
2017-18 NBA Awards Watch (Week 3)
ROY
Three more debuts this week: Derrick Walton (Heat), Tyler Cavanaugh (Hawks), Tony Bradley (Jazz) bringing the total to 66 so far.
Ben Simmons (Sixers) still leads all rookies in Per Game: Minutes, Points, Rebounds, Assists, Free Throw Attempts (and is second in Steals). Who else can you possible vote for? And that's considering that this is a strong and interesting rookie class but Simmons is clearly the best of the bunch. He'll be an All-Star, should get some MVP votes and could even snare an All-Pro spot.
DPOY
Demarcus Cousins (Pelicans) is among league leaders in Blocks, Steals, Defensive Rebounds and Minutes Played. Factor in that his effective FG% is 53% and he's currently leading the league in Free Throw Attempts and that's a pretty good case that he is controlling the game as well as anyone in the league.
6th Man
No clear cut standout so far but some interesting stats: Spencer Dinwiddie (Nets) has 54:12 Asst:TO off the bench. Marco Belinelli (Hawks) has a 27:12 Asst:TO, is averaging 2 APG/1 RPG, and is shooting 45% from 3 and 95% from the line. Alex Len (Suns) averaging 8RPG and 5FTA off the bench. Marcus Smart (Celtics) has 48:21 Asst:TO and Terry Rozier (Celtics) has 27:7 and both are among the league leaders in Steals (though neither is shooting particularly well). John Collins (Hawks) and Ed Davis (Blazers) are among the league leaders in Offensive Rebounds. PJ Tucker (Rockets) not really showing up in the stats (leading in Minutes Played off the bench) but the eye test suggests to me he's contributing a lot for his squad.
Coach
Brad Stevens (Celtics) is the easy pick so far: totally revamped roster, blistering expectations, already endured a heart-breaking injury to their big free agent pickup, getting a lot of minutes out of untested youngsters and the Celtics are still tops in the League--and looking like they could very well stay there all season long. That's amazing and totally legit: this team as it is right now looks like the best in the East. (Man, I'd never advocate bringing a guy back from injury too soon, but if Hayward were ready by mid-March, the Celtics might be looking pretty good to win it now)
I'd say Frank Vogel (Magic) and Jeff Hornacek (Knicks) should get big credit for their teams' hot starts.
Executive
Yeah, this is still Danny Ainge's (Celtics) to lose, right? We'll see if some crafty GM can swing the perfect move at the trade deadline (Cousins is just waiting to be plucked), otherwise this is all Celtics.
MVP
Personally I think Brad Stevens is the Celtics' MVP but I can certainly understand the kudos for Kyrie Irving. LIkewise, I'd say the Warriors are too good, too balanced to produce a particular MVP. But Kristap Porzingas (Knicks) has been balling out and leading his team. Ben Simmons (Sixers)--yeah, I said it, this kid is un-guardable and clearly the reason for their hot start (Embiid is the icing but Simmons is the cake). And, of course, can't forget how great James Harden (Rockets) still is. Still lots of time for other candidates to emerge.
Three more debuts this week: Derrick Walton (Heat), Tyler Cavanaugh (Hawks), Tony Bradley (Jazz) bringing the total to 66 so far.
Ben Simmons (Sixers) still leads all rookies in Per Game: Minutes, Points, Rebounds, Assists, Free Throw Attempts (and is second in Steals). Who else can you possible vote for? And that's considering that this is a strong and interesting rookie class but Simmons is clearly the best of the bunch. He'll be an All-Star, should get some MVP votes and could even snare an All-Pro spot.
DPOY
Demarcus Cousins (Pelicans) is among league leaders in Blocks, Steals, Defensive Rebounds and Minutes Played. Factor in that his effective FG% is 53% and he's currently leading the league in Free Throw Attempts and that's a pretty good case that he is controlling the game as well as anyone in the league.
6th Man
No clear cut standout so far but some interesting stats: Spencer Dinwiddie (Nets) has 54:12 Asst:TO off the bench. Marco Belinelli (Hawks) has a 27:12 Asst:TO, is averaging 2 APG/1 RPG, and is shooting 45% from 3 and 95% from the line. Alex Len (Suns) averaging 8RPG and 5FTA off the bench. Marcus Smart (Celtics) has 48:21 Asst:TO and Terry Rozier (Celtics) has 27:7 and both are among the league leaders in Steals (though neither is shooting particularly well). John Collins (Hawks) and Ed Davis (Blazers) are among the league leaders in Offensive Rebounds. PJ Tucker (Rockets) not really showing up in the stats (leading in Minutes Played off the bench) but the eye test suggests to me he's contributing a lot for his squad.
Coach
Brad Stevens (Celtics) is the easy pick so far: totally revamped roster, blistering expectations, already endured a heart-breaking injury to their big free agent pickup, getting a lot of minutes out of untested youngsters and the Celtics are still tops in the League--and looking like they could very well stay there all season long. That's amazing and totally legit: this team as it is right now looks like the best in the East. (Man, I'd never advocate bringing a guy back from injury too soon, but if Hayward were ready by mid-March, the Celtics might be looking pretty good to win it now)
I'd say Frank Vogel (Magic) and Jeff Hornacek (Knicks) should get big credit for their teams' hot starts.
Executive
Yeah, this is still Danny Ainge's (Celtics) to lose, right? We'll see if some crafty GM can swing the perfect move at the trade deadline (Cousins is just waiting to be plucked), otherwise this is all Celtics.
MVP
Personally I think Brad Stevens is the Celtics' MVP but I can certainly understand the kudos for Kyrie Irving. LIkewise, I'd say the Warriors are too good, too balanced to produce a particular MVP. But Kristap Porzingas (Knicks) has been balling out and leading his team. Ben Simmons (Sixers)--yeah, I said it, this kid is un-guardable and clearly the reason for their hot start (Embiid is the icing but Simmons is the cake). And, of course, can't forget how great James Harden (Rockets) still is. Still lots of time for other candidates to emerge.
2017-18 NBA Bric-a-Brac (Week 3)
Trades
Suns trade Eric Bledsoe to Bucks for Greg Monroe, 1st rd pick (2018 protected 1-10, 17-30; 2019 protected 1-3, 17-30; 2020 protected 1-7; 2021 unprotected), 2018 2nd rd pick (top 47 protected).
The Bucks get another good playmaker to go with Giannis and they get rid of a big man that never fit what they were going for--double plus for the Bucks! The 1st rounder they gave up is well-protected, so they'll likely retain it for the next two drafts (they even have a decent shot at keeping that 2nd rounder).
The Suns get....wait, what do they get? Monroe doesn't fit the Suns any better than he fit the Bucks--even worse, actually (and did you notice the Bucks are dead last in Total Rebounds right now?). Monroe is in the last year of his deal and will likely leave this summer and can't be traded for 6 months (right?), meaning they can't move him now and they can't keep him later. They don't have playing time for him because they still have Tyson Chandler for two more years (this deal does not make him trade bait) and they ought to still be giving time to Alex Len (also a free agent this summer). The 1st round pick is not likely to come until 2020 and even the 2nd round pick is kinda iffy. Hmmm....I don't this trade does them any good at all. Surely they could have done better for Bledsoe, even with their lack of leverage.
Injuries
Tristan Thompson (Cavs) out indefinitely with calf injury
Larry Nance Jr (Lakers) out indefinitely with broken hand
Signings/Extensions
Sixers picked up options on Justin Anderson, Timothy Luwawu, Ben Simmons and Dario Saric
Celtics picked up options on Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown
Kings picked up options on Willie Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield, Skal Labissiere, Georgios Papagiannas and Malachi Richardson
Grizzlies pick up option on Jarrell Martin
Warriors pick up option on Damian Jones
Bucks pick up option on Thon Maker
Clippers pick up option on Sam Dekker
The youth movement have born much fruit for the Sixers and Kings; Celtics wise to keep Rozier and Brown in the fold; Grizzlies and Bucks smart to hold on to their youngsters; Warriors are so mortgaged to the hilt that they need every reasonably-priced body they can get; Clippers have yet to get anything out of Dekker (but if/when Griffin gets hurt, expect Dekker to get a lot of those minutes).
Sixers declined option on Jahlil Okafor
Bucks declined option on Rashad Vaughn
Clippers declined option on Brice Johnson
Thunder decline option on Josh Huestis
Magic decline option on Mario Hezonja
Wizards decline option on Chris McCullough
Pretty sure Hinkie's process did not include the regular devaluing of prospects (is it rude to liken the Sixers to anti-abortion activists: they worship any and every draft pick but don't seem to care about the players those picks become?); I think the Bucks are prematurely giving up on Vaughn, he's had some nice moments for them; Brice Johnson, to me, was a real boom/bust prospect: could still be good but needs the right environment (I doubt the Clippers are the right environment); Thunder made a weird move drafting Huestis strictly for their G-League team...guess that didn't work?; Hezonja never found the rhythm with the Magic, definitely worth another shot in the league (Grizzlies?); McCullough was injury prone and never found the fit for the Nets or Wizards, not sure he gets another shot.
Suns trade Eric Bledsoe to Bucks for Greg Monroe, 1st rd pick (2018 protected 1-10, 17-30; 2019 protected 1-3, 17-30; 2020 protected 1-7; 2021 unprotected), 2018 2nd rd pick (top 47 protected).
The Bucks get another good playmaker to go with Giannis and they get rid of a big man that never fit what they were going for--double plus for the Bucks! The 1st rounder they gave up is well-protected, so they'll likely retain it for the next two drafts (they even have a decent shot at keeping that 2nd rounder).
The Suns get....wait, what do they get? Monroe doesn't fit the Suns any better than he fit the Bucks--even worse, actually (and did you notice the Bucks are dead last in Total Rebounds right now?). Monroe is in the last year of his deal and will likely leave this summer and can't be traded for 6 months (right?), meaning they can't move him now and they can't keep him later. They don't have playing time for him because they still have Tyson Chandler for two more years (this deal does not make him trade bait) and they ought to still be giving time to Alex Len (also a free agent this summer). The 1st round pick is not likely to come until 2020 and even the 2nd round pick is kinda iffy. Hmmm....I don't this trade does them any good at all. Surely they could have done better for Bledsoe, even with their lack of leverage.
Injuries
Tristan Thompson (Cavs) out indefinitely with calf injury
Larry Nance Jr (Lakers) out indefinitely with broken hand
Signings/Extensions
Sixers picked up options on Justin Anderson, Timothy Luwawu, Ben Simmons and Dario Saric
Celtics picked up options on Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown
Kings picked up options on Willie Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield, Skal Labissiere, Georgios Papagiannas and Malachi Richardson
Grizzlies pick up option on Jarrell Martin
Warriors pick up option on Damian Jones
Bucks pick up option on Thon Maker
Clippers pick up option on Sam Dekker
The youth movement have born much fruit for the Sixers and Kings; Celtics wise to keep Rozier and Brown in the fold; Grizzlies and Bucks smart to hold on to their youngsters; Warriors are so mortgaged to the hilt that they need every reasonably-priced body they can get; Clippers have yet to get anything out of Dekker (but if/when Griffin gets hurt, expect Dekker to get a lot of those minutes).
Sixers declined option on Jahlil Okafor
Bucks declined option on Rashad Vaughn
Clippers declined option on Brice Johnson
Thunder decline option on Josh Huestis
Magic decline option on Mario Hezonja
Wizards decline option on Chris McCullough
Pretty sure Hinkie's process did not include the regular devaluing of prospects (is it rude to liken the Sixers to anti-abortion activists: they worship any and every draft pick but don't seem to care about the players those picks become?); I think the Bucks are prematurely giving up on Vaughn, he's had some nice moments for them; Brice Johnson, to me, was a real boom/bust prospect: could still be good but needs the right environment (I doubt the Clippers are the right environment); Thunder made a weird move drafting Huestis strictly for their G-League team...guess that didn't work?; Hezonja never found the rhythm with the Magic, definitely worth another shot in the league (Grizzlies?); McCullough was injury prone and never found the fit for the Nets or Wizards, not sure he gets another shot.
2017-18 NFL (Week 9)
Games I watched (some of):
Bengals 7-23 Jaguars
Man, the Bengals D has sunk so low that I thought Blake Bortles actually looked pretty good for most of this game--not just passable but actually good! His receivers dropped a lot of balls, too, if they could just connect a little more, the Jags would be a legit team in the AFC (and this was all without Forunette). The Bengals have nothing, man. Mixon is coming along but you can just tell by watching him that that kid's a dope and even when he's good, he's probably not worth it. The Jags are now in the driver's set in their division, the Bengals just keep slipping further out of the picture.
Chiefs 17-28 Cowboys
Thought the Cowboy pass rush was impressive, kept Alex Smith off balance all day. Outside of that last drive before halftime (wtf?!?!) and the first drive of the second half, the Chiefs just never established anything on offense. And on the other side, man, I thought Dak was so impressive. His numbers were shockingly nothing special considering how in control he looked out there. When the Cowboys want to be they actually look pretty damn good; the Chiefs just had a bad game on the road, I still think they're the best in the AFC.
Raiders 27-24 Dolphins
Two puzzling teams. They both have such wild quality control problems, each had good drives and each looked just flat fucking awful at times. Oh well. The Dolphins looks strangely revitalized without Ajayi (sometimes getting rid of the annoying dude makes everyone a lot more comfortable) but still didn't have enough of a running game to think they've turned a corner or something. The Raiders had moments where that D line looked fierce and then other times when they looked non-existent. I dunno, I don't get either of these teams, the lack of consistency displayed by both was nothing short of maddening. Both teams still have time to snag a wild card spot and if both could get a regular form going, they might meet in the playoffs (not likely but it could happen).
Other results:
Bills 21-34 Jets
Division games are always a crapshoot where anything can happen, so while the Bills are probably the better team, the result isn't a shock (especially on a Thursday night). The Bills still have a shot at a wild card spot, the Jets had been get going if they want into the playoffs.
Colts 20-14 Texans
Ah, Texans, we hardly knew ye. Remember when the high flying Texans were the most exciting thing in the game....yeah, like it was a week ago. Man, NFL has the NASCAR problem: it kills off its most interesting players and personalities (I don't need Game of Thrones, I'm an NFL fan). Oh well, I think we can now confidently scratch both of these teams from winning that division, making this result kinda meaningless.
Bucs 10-30 Saints
Seems about right. Saints are in a good groove right now, especially at home, while the Bucs are in a bad groove right now, especially on the road. Though the Saints look to have the old school Brees back and a much improved defense, I'm still kinda skeptical until I see them really duke it out with a good team. The Bucs ought to just scout NCAA games for the rest of the year (and may need to look for a new coach); Saints are looking good to win that division and are almost certain to play in the post-season.
Rams 51-17 Giants
Well the wheels are officially off of the NYG train, we've known that for a few weeks. But where do the Rams keep coming up with the offensive explosions? The Rams are way ahead of schedule on both sides of the ball, we'll see how that plays in the post-season. The Giants are threatening to bench Eli Manning begging the question, "Why? You got something better over there?" Oh, man, the Giants stink are heading in the wrong direction at every position on the field.
Falcons 17-20 Panthers
Julio Jones dropped the go-ahead TD late in the 4th, it was that kind of game: the Falcons could've won if they just hadn't made dumb mistakes. And they've got all of their division schedule left, so they could conceivably get back into the playoff hunt but they needed to start right here. The Panthers look good when they're not looking bad, they look like they could beat anybody except that most of the time they don't. They'll dual with the Saints for the division it looks like.
Broncos 23-51 Eagles
The Broncos had been struggling at QB but now they're struggling on D, too. They look like they're falling apart but if they can find some stability (man, have I not written that about 20 other teams already?), they're still in the wild card race, its not like anyone is running away with it in the AFC. Meanwhile, the Eagles are firmly in charge in the NFC. They're having the kind of offensive success that breeds creativity on the defensive side, the Eagles are rounding into a legit dangerous squad.
Ravens 20-23 Titans
What is up with the Ravens? Why aren't they good? They've still got an above average defense and a QB that won a Super Bowl, in a such a slog-filled AFC this is the kind of team that ought to be stepping forward and claiming a playoff spot. Oh right: Joe Flacco sucks and always has. Still though, they're still almost there. The Titans are moving in the right direction on both sides of the ball and in such a mediocre period they could sill emerge as a capable team.
Cards 20-10 Niners
I thought this was a good chance for the Niners to steal a win but now that they've got their QB of the future, they're probably imagining the raft of the picks that can get with the #1 pick. No need to interrupt the reverie with an unnecessary W. Still though, the Niners play hard enough to win, this team won't go winless but the opportunities to win aren't exactly falling off the tree like autumn leaves. The Cards....ahhhhh, man....they just....they just suck, man. Oh well, fitting that on the weekend of daylight savings they get to pretend like they've rolled back the clock. Neither of these teams are anywhere near the playoffs.
Redskins 17-14 Seahawks
Somehow this result didn't surprise me. They're strangely similar teams: good pass defense, so-so running game, embattled QB's. They match up well. The Seahawks are definitely still in the wild card race (think the Rams are steadily vanquishing them in that division) but they'll get W's in the bottom of their division while the other divisions cannibalize each other down the stretch. The Redskins still have a chance to get into the wild card race and solid conference W's like this are how they do it.
Lions 30-17 Packers
Hundley just ain't getting it done in Green Bay. *sigh* It's a dang shame that Aaron Rodgers on an MVP trek won't get the Packers into the playoffs, which seems pretty much gone for good unless Hundley has a massive turnaround. The Lions are such a weird team: occasionally impressive, occasionally sleepy, Stafford is really good when he's healthy but looks like he's struggling out there at times. The Lions are well-positioned to make the most of the Rodgers-less Packers. Probably time to scratch off the Packers, though the Lions are definitely still in the mix for a wild card.
Won and covered: Jags, Cowboys, Jets, Colts, Saints, Rams, Panthers, Eagles, Titans, Cards, Redskins, Lions
Push: Raiders, Dolphins
Lost, didn't cover: Bengals, Chiefs, Bills, Texans, Bucs, Giants, Falcons, Broncos, Ravens, Niners, Seahawks, Packers
Bengals 7-23 Jaguars
Man, the Bengals D has sunk so low that I thought Blake Bortles actually looked pretty good for most of this game--not just passable but actually good! His receivers dropped a lot of balls, too, if they could just connect a little more, the Jags would be a legit team in the AFC (and this was all without Forunette). The Bengals have nothing, man. Mixon is coming along but you can just tell by watching him that that kid's a dope and even when he's good, he's probably not worth it. The Jags are now in the driver's set in their division, the Bengals just keep slipping further out of the picture.
Chiefs 17-28 Cowboys
Thought the Cowboy pass rush was impressive, kept Alex Smith off balance all day. Outside of that last drive before halftime (wtf?!?!) and the first drive of the second half, the Chiefs just never established anything on offense. And on the other side, man, I thought Dak was so impressive. His numbers were shockingly nothing special considering how in control he looked out there. When the Cowboys want to be they actually look pretty damn good; the Chiefs just had a bad game on the road, I still think they're the best in the AFC.
Raiders 27-24 Dolphins
Two puzzling teams. They both have such wild quality control problems, each had good drives and each looked just flat fucking awful at times. Oh well. The Dolphins looks strangely revitalized without Ajayi (sometimes getting rid of the annoying dude makes everyone a lot more comfortable) but still didn't have enough of a running game to think they've turned a corner or something. The Raiders had moments where that D line looked fierce and then other times when they looked non-existent. I dunno, I don't get either of these teams, the lack of consistency displayed by both was nothing short of maddening. Both teams still have time to snag a wild card spot and if both could get a regular form going, they might meet in the playoffs (not likely but it could happen).
Other results:
Bills 21-34 Jets
Division games are always a crapshoot where anything can happen, so while the Bills are probably the better team, the result isn't a shock (especially on a Thursday night). The Bills still have a shot at a wild card spot, the Jets had been get going if they want into the playoffs.
Colts 20-14 Texans
Ah, Texans, we hardly knew ye. Remember when the high flying Texans were the most exciting thing in the game....yeah, like it was a week ago. Man, NFL has the NASCAR problem: it kills off its most interesting players and personalities (I don't need Game of Thrones, I'm an NFL fan). Oh well, I think we can now confidently scratch both of these teams from winning that division, making this result kinda meaningless.
Bucs 10-30 Saints
Seems about right. Saints are in a good groove right now, especially at home, while the Bucs are in a bad groove right now, especially on the road. Though the Saints look to have the old school Brees back and a much improved defense, I'm still kinda skeptical until I see them really duke it out with a good team. The Bucs ought to just scout NCAA games for the rest of the year (and may need to look for a new coach); Saints are looking good to win that division and are almost certain to play in the post-season.
Rams 51-17 Giants
Well the wheels are officially off of the NYG train, we've known that for a few weeks. But where do the Rams keep coming up with the offensive explosions? The Rams are way ahead of schedule on both sides of the ball, we'll see how that plays in the post-season. The Giants are threatening to bench Eli Manning begging the question, "Why? You got something better over there?" Oh, man, the Giants stink are heading in the wrong direction at every position on the field.
Falcons 17-20 Panthers
Julio Jones dropped the go-ahead TD late in the 4th, it was that kind of game: the Falcons could've won if they just hadn't made dumb mistakes. And they've got all of their division schedule left, so they could conceivably get back into the playoff hunt but they needed to start right here. The Panthers look good when they're not looking bad, they look like they could beat anybody except that most of the time they don't. They'll dual with the Saints for the division it looks like.
Broncos 23-51 Eagles
The Broncos had been struggling at QB but now they're struggling on D, too. They look like they're falling apart but if they can find some stability (man, have I not written that about 20 other teams already?), they're still in the wild card race, its not like anyone is running away with it in the AFC. Meanwhile, the Eagles are firmly in charge in the NFC. They're having the kind of offensive success that breeds creativity on the defensive side, the Eagles are rounding into a legit dangerous squad.
Ravens 20-23 Titans
What is up with the Ravens? Why aren't they good? They've still got an above average defense and a QB that won a Super Bowl, in a such a slog-filled AFC this is the kind of team that ought to be stepping forward and claiming a playoff spot. Oh right: Joe Flacco sucks and always has. Still though, they're still almost there. The Titans are moving in the right direction on both sides of the ball and in such a mediocre period they could sill emerge as a capable team.
Cards 20-10 Niners
I thought this was a good chance for the Niners to steal a win but now that they've got their QB of the future, they're probably imagining the raft of the picks that can get with the #1 pick. No need to interrupt the reverie with an unnecessary W. Still though, the Niners play hard enough to win, this team won't go winless but the opportunities to win aren't exactly falling off the tree like autumn leaves. The Cards....ahhhhh, man....they just....they just suck, man. Oh well, fitting that on the weekend of daylight savings they get to pretend like they've rolled back the clock. Neither of these teams are anywhere near the playoffs.
Redskins 17-14 Seahawks
Somehow this result didn't surprise me. They're strangely similar teams: good pass defense, so-so running game, embattled QB's. They match up well. The Seahawks are definitely still in the wild card race (think the Rams are steadily vanquishing them in that division) but they'll get W's in the bottom of their division while the other divisions cannibalize each other down the stretch. The Redskins still have a chance to get into the wild card race and solid conference W's like this are how they do it.
Lions 30-17 Packers
Hundley just ain't getting it done in Green Bay. *sigh* It's a dang shame that Aaron Rodgers on an MVP trek won't get the Packers into the playoffs, which seems pretty much gone for good unless Hundley has a massive turnaround. The Lions are such a weird team: occasionally impressive, occasionally sleepy, Stafford is really good when he's healthy but looks like he's struggling out there at times. The Lions are well-positioned to make the most of the Rodgers-less Packers. Probably time to scratch off the Packers, though the Lions are definitely still in the mix for a wild card.
Won and covered: Jags, Cowboys, Jets, Colts, Saints, Rams, Panthers, Eagles, Titans, Cards, Redskins, Lions
Push: Raiders, Dolphins
Lost, didn't cover: Bengals, Chiefs, Bills, Texans, Bucs, Giants, Falcons, Broncos, Ravens, Niners, Seahawks, Packers
Monday, November 6, 2017
2017-18 NCAA Football (Week 10)
(19) LSU 10-24 (2) Alabama
LSU hung around but Alabama effectively smothered them throughout. LSU played them well but hard to make a dent on that defense. Another solid victory for Alabama (ehh, this isn't a classic LSU squad but they're not bad), dropping them to #2 is another sign how lame the rankings still are after all these years.
(4) Clemson 38-31 (20) North Carolina State
This was a good game, lot of back and forth, but Clemson held them off in the 4th (dumb penalty on last drive doomed the Wolfpack). I've been impressed with both of these teams all year long--still think Clemson is possibly the best team out there--and this was a lively, fun game.
(5) Oklahoma 62-52 (11) Oklahoma State
Thank you for the rain delay in Michigan that allowed me to watch the rest of this game--which is the one I really wanted to watch! Wow, the score says it all, total shootout of a game, back and forth, fast break football. But in crazy games like this it just takes one bad drive to end it all and the Cowboys had a coupla those (uhhh....not sure the Sooners had a single bad possession....). I thought Oklahoma State would emerge as the better team and take their place atop the Big 12 but the Sooners took that spot instead.
(7) Penn State 24-27 (24) Michigan State
Kooky game, can't remember a rain delay that was longer than the game itself (well, not in football). Thought Penn State QB McSorley had a poor game--and that was before the rain came. He was sailing passes and missing receivers all the way through, that was the difference. If Penn State had protected the ball I think they would've won handily. But they let Sparty hang around and that last drive to the winning FG was a good one. That Ohio State-Michigan State game is still meaningful.
(13) Virginia Tech 10-28 (10) Miami
Thought Tech made too many dumb turnovers, if they'd held on to the ball, they may have won (the game certainly would've been more competitive). The first half was fairly even but Tech couldn't hold them back after halftime. This is Miami's first notable win of the season but I'm still not convinced.
(22) Arizona 35-49 (17) Southern Cal
(21) Stanford 21-24 (25) Washington State
I didn't see either of these games. Pac-12 is a crazy crap shoot this year, these games solved none of the puzzle of that conference.
Top 25
Handled their business
(1) Georgia, (2) Alabama, (3) Notre Dame, (4), Clemson, (5) Oklahoma, (8) TCU, (9) Wisconsin, (10) Miami, (12) Washington, (14) Auburn, (17) Southern Cal, (18) Central Florida, (23) Memphis, (24) Michigan State, (25) Washington State
Got it done but did not impress
(16) Mississippi State. Come on, man, at home against a weak opponent from a lesser conference should not have been a struggle. This game went into the 4th quarter and there's just no need for that.
Not so good
(6) Ohio State. Got stomped in a winnable game. That's not so good.
(7) Penn State. Two weeks in a row they let it slip away, disappointing.
(11) Oklahoma State. I thought they could hang with Oklahoma, this was their shot at something big.
(13) Virginia Tech. Gotta win the games you gotta win.
(15) Iowa State. Up and down all year, this was one of the downs.
Bad beat
(19) LSU. Gave Bama as good a game as they've gotten all year.
(20) NC State. Hung with Clemson, had a real shot to pull it out.
(21) Stanford. PAC-12 is...who knows, man?
(22) Arizona. Let's be honest: they were only ranked to make this game look good on TV. USC has been better all year and still is.
Next week's interesting games
(13) Michigan State @ (11) Ohio State
(12) Oklahoma State @ (24) Iowa State
(2) Georgia @ (10) Auburn
(25) Iowa @ (6) Wisconsin
(1) Alabama @ (18) Mississippi State
(3) Notre Dame @ (7) Miami
(8) TCU @ (5) Oklahoma
LSU hung around but Alabama effectively smothered them throughout. LSU played them well but hard to make a dent on that defense. Another solid victory for Alabama (ehh, this isn't a classic LSU squad but they're not bad), dropping them to #2 is another sign how lame the rankings still are after all these years.
(4) Clemson 38-31 (20) North Carolina State
This was a good game, lot of back and forth, but Clemson held them off in the 4th (dumb penalty on last drive doomed the Wolfpack). I've been impressed with both of these teams all year long--still think Clemson is possibly the best team out there--and this was a lively, fun game.
(5) Oklahoma 62-52 (11) Oklahoma State
Thank you for the rain delay in Michigan that allowed me to watch the rest of this game--which is the one I really wanted to watch! Wow, the score says it all, total shootout of a game, back and forth, fast break football. But in crazy games like this it just takes one bad drive to end it all and the Cowboys had a coupla those (uhhh....not sure the Sooners had a single bad possession....). I thought Oklahoma State would emerge as the better team and take their place atop the Big 12 but the Sooners took that spot instead.
(7) Penn State 24-27 (24) Michigan State
Kooky game, can't remember a rain delay that was longer than the game itself (well, not in football). Thought Penn State QB McSorley had a poor game--and that was before the rain came. He was sailing passes and missing receivers all the way through, that was the difference. If Penn State had protected the ball I think they would've won handily. But they let Sparty hang around and that last drive to the winning FG was a good one. That Ohio State-Michigan State game is still meaningful.
(13) Virginia Tech 10-28 (10) Miami
Thought Tech made too many dumb turnovers, if they'd held on to the ball, they may have won (the game certainly would've been more competitive). The first half was fairly even but Tech couldn't hold them back after halftime. This is Miami's first notable win of the season but I'm still not convinced.
(22) Arizona 35-49 (17) Southern Cal
(21) Stanford 21-24 (25) Washington State
I didn't see either of these games. Pac-12 is a crazy crap shoot this year, these games solved none of the puzzle of that conference.
Top 25
Handled their business
(1) Georgia, (2) Alabama, (3) Notre Dame, (4), Clemson, (5) Oklahoma, (8) TCU, (9) Wisconsin, (10) Miami, (12) Washington, (14) Auburn, (17) Southern Cal, (18) Central Florida, (23) Memphis, (24) Michigan State, (25) Washington State
Got it done but did not impress
(16) Mississippi State. Come on, man, at home against a weak opponent from a lesser conference should not have been a struggle. This game went into the 4th quarter and there's just no need for that.
Not so good
(6) Ohio State. Got stomped in a winnable game. That's not so good.
(7) Penn State. Two weeks in a row they let it slip away, disappointing.
(11) Oklahoma State. I thought they could hang with Oklahoma, this was their shot at something big.
(13) Virginia Tech. Gotta win the games you gotta win.
(15) Iowa State. Up and down all year, this was one of the downs.
Bad beat
(19) LSU. Gave Bama as good a game as they've gotten all year.
(20) NC State. Hung with Clemson, had a real shot to pull it out.
(21) Stanford. PAC-12 is...who knows, man?
(22) Arizona. Let's be honest: they were only ranked to make this game look good on TV. USC has been better all year and still is.
Next week's interesting games
(13) Michigan State @ (11) Ohio State
(12) Oklahoma State @ (24) Iowa State
(2) Georgia @ (10) Auburn
(25) Iowa @ (6) Wisconsin
(1) Alabama @ (18) Mississippi State
(3) Notre Dame @ (7) Miami
(8) TCU @ (5) Oklahoma
Thursday, November 2, 2017
2017-18 Pointless NBA Trade Idea
Bucks get:
Elfrid Peyton, Mario Hezonja
Magic get:
Jabari Parker, Rashad Vaughn
Basically its a swap of players that I think these teams don't want to bring back, giving each team a few months to taste test on new players instead.
Parker is clearly unhappy in his (non-)role with the Bucks and while I think he'd be better coming off the bench in Orlando (pair him with Biyombo rather than Vucevic), he would still have a shot to prove himself as a down-low scorer. If the Bucks can get Peyton to be a mini-Giannis off the bench (by which I mean, keeping the ball moving and the tempo high) and keep up his solid on-ball defense, he might fit them going forward.
Hezonja and Vaughn are like for like: scorers off the bench that have thus far been kinda disappointing, though showing flashes of being worthwhile. Perhaps the change of scenery will benefit both of them (though likely each would have the same problem in their new homes). Hezonja might fit better in the Bucks ball-movement system while Vaughn may get more opportunities in Orlando as more of a spot-up shooter.
The salaries don't quite match up, the Magic would probably have to throw in a 2nd round pick (or perhaps some kind of future pick swap), to even it out. Again, not a great leap forward for either team, really just giving four guys a chance to prove themselves in a different environment before moving on to free agency (which is where it looks all four are headed). (Of course Milwaukee probably sees Jabari as a much better trade chip than simply the cornerstone of a taste test but they may struggle to move him)
Elfrid Peyton, Mario Hezonja
Magic get:
Jabari Parker, Rashad Vaughn
Basically its a swap of players that I think these teams don't want to bring back, giving each team a few months to taste test on new players instead.
Parker is clearly unhappy in his (non-)role with the Bucks and while I think he'd be better coming off the bench in Orlando (pair him with Biyombo rather than Vucevic), he would still have a shot to prove himself as a down-low scorer. If the Bucks can get Peyton to be a mini-Giannis off the bench (by which I mean, keeping the ball moving and the tempo high) and keep up his solid on-ball defense, he might fit them going forward.
Hezonja and Vaughn are like for like: scorers off the bench that have thus far been kinda disappointing, though showing flashes of being worthwhile. Perhaps the change of scenery will benefit both of them (though likely each would have the same problem in their new homes). Hezonja might fit better in the Bucks ball-movement system while Vaughn may get more opportunities in Orlando as more of a spot-up shooter.
The salaries don't quite match up, the Magic would probably have to throw in a 2nd round pick (or perhaps some kind of future pick swap), to even it out. Again, not a great leap forward for either team, really just giving four guys a chance to prove themselves in a different environment before moving on to free agency (which is where it looks all four are headed). (Of course Milwaukee probably sees Jabari as a much better trade chip than simply the cornerstone of a taste test but they may struggle to move him)
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
2017-18 NBA Awards Watch (Week 2)
ROY
7 NBA debuts this week: Jacob Wiley (Nets), Charles Cooke (Pelicans), Jalen Jones (Pelicans), Mangok Mathiang (Hornets), Marcus Paige (Hornets), Antonio Blakeney (Bulls), Ivan Rabb (Grizzlies)
After 2 weeks there are 16 rooks averaging at least 20MPG: Simmons, Ball, Tatum, Markkanen, Smith, Brooks, Kuzma, Fox, Josh Jackson, Bogdanovic, Bacon, Mitchell, James, Monk, Adebayo, Collins
11 averaging at least 10PPG: Simmons, Markkanen, Tatum, Kuzma, Fox, Bogdanovic, Collins, Smith, James, Jackson, Ball
7 averaging at least 5RPG: Markkanen, Simmons, Ball, Collins, Tatum, Adebayo, Bacon
5 averaging at least 4APG: Simmons, Ball, Smith, Tatum, Fox, Teodosic
5 have at least 20 FTA: Simmons, Tatum, Collins, Jackson, Smith
3 have at least 10 total Steals: Jackson, Simmons, Brooks
Ben Simmons (Sixers), Jaysun Tatum (Celtics), Lonzo Ball (Lakers), Lauri Markkanen (Bulls), Dennis Smith (Mavs), John Collins (Hawks) are pretty much the only players in the ROY conversation for now.
Other Awards
Uhhhh....I've watched zero basketball this week because of that killer Astros-Dodgers World Series. Game Seven tonight! Oh well, I'll be back at it tomorrow.
7 NBA debuts this week: Jacob Wiley (Nets), Charles Cooke (Pelicans), Jalen Jones (Pelicans), Mangok Mathiang (Hornets), Marcus Paige (Hornets), Antonio Blakeney (Bulls), Ivan Rabb (Grizzlies)
After 2 weeks there are 16 rooks averaging at least 20MPG: Simmons, Ball, Tatum, Markkanen, Smith, Brooks, Kuzma, Fox, Josh Jackson, Bogdanovic, Bacon, Mitchell, James, Monk, Adebayo, Collins
11 averaging at least 10PPG: Simmons, Markkanen, Tatum, Kuzma, Fox, Bogdanovic, Collins, Smith, James, Jackson, Ball
7 averaging at least 5RPG: Markkanen, Simmons, Ball, Collins, Tatum, Adebayo, Bacon
5 averaging at least 4APG: Simmons, Ball, Smith, Tatum, Fox, Teodosic
5 have at least 20 FTA: Simmons, Tatum, Collins, Jackson, Smith
3 have at least 10 total Steals: Jackson, Simmons, Brooks
Ben Simmons (Sixers), Jaysun Tatum (Celtics), Lonzo Ball (Lakers), Lauri Markkanen (Bulls), Dennis Smith (Mavs), John Collins (Hawks) are pretty much the only players in the ROY conversation for now.
Other Awards
Uhhhh....I've watched zero basketball this week because of that killer Astros-Dodgers World Series. Game Seven tonight! Oh well, I'll be back at it tomorrow.
2017-18 NBA Bric-a-brac (Week 2)
Signings/Extensions
Wizards picked up 4th year extension on Kelly Oubre.
Lakers picked up 4th year extensions on Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr.
Bulls picked up 4th year extensions on Bobby Portis, Cameron Payne, Denzel Valentine, Jerian Grant and Kris Dunn.
Injuries
Markelle Fultz (Sixers) injured his shoulder and is out indefinitely (presumably while the Sixers figure out how to use him)
Wizards picked up 4th year extension on Kelly Oubre.
Lakers picked up 4th year extensions on Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr.
Bulls picked up 4th year extensions on Bobby Portis, Cameron Payne, Denzel Valentine, Jerian Grant and Kris Dunn.
Hornets picked up 4th year extension on Frank Kaminsky.
(Notably the Sixers did not pick up the extension for Jahlil Okafor)
Rockets signed Isiah Canaan for the rest of the season....and waived him 3 days later (I'm sure there is some roster machination that needed to be done there but I don't get these moves and the Rockets, in particular, make them all the time)
Pelicans signed Josh Smith for the rest of the season (I know the Pelicans need all the 3 point shooting they can get but I'm not sure they not it this bad; but high school roomies and apparent BFF's Rajon Rondo and Smith are finally together in the NBA)
Injuries
Markelle Fultz (Sixers) injured his shoulder and is out indefinitely (presumably while the Sixers figure out how to use him)
2017-18 NFL (Week 8)
Games I watched (some of):
Dolphins 0-40 Ravens
Dolphins suck, man. I mean the Ravens suck and they just dropped 40 on another team. This game was not any fun at all to watch.
Bears 12-20 Saints
The Bears are scrappy on D and I kinda like Trebisky under center, they'll win some games by the end of the year and they'll put some fear in some good teams along the way too. The Saints are playing better, especially on defense, and they're in a soft division but they're not blowing me away just yet. They'll get a home playoff game, so they'll have their shot.
Colts 23-24 Bengals
This was my game of the week....sheesh. The Bengal offense has been getting better lately and against a terrible opponent I thought they had a good shot at dropping a 41-10 type of game on a patsy. Not so much. Dude, all the Bengals had to do was come out and get it done but in the end they only won because the Colts bungled it. The Colts played probably their best game of the year, fustigated the Bengals on defense and (kinda) moved the ball well. But they gave it away because that's what really bad teams do.
Cowboys 33-19 Redskins
Kept waiting for the Redskins to put together a decent drive but they never really did. The Cowboys were the better team but a trash time pick 6 was what made for the lopsidedness of the score. Feels like the Cowboys are trending upwards but they're losing Elliott for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile the Redskins are trending down and heading into the tough part of their schedule (they'll have chances in December, see if they don't make a late run).
Other results (surprising):
Texans 38-41 Seahawks
Man, looks like the game of the week.....yeah, I got Colts-Bengals (*sigh*). Two of the finer defensive squads of the last few years torching each either. Good stuff, wish I got to see it.
Other results (not so surprising):
Vikings 33-16 Browns
Vikings are consistent, not great but not bad and they have their game plan down. The Browns, on the other hand, can't even make a trade right.
Falcons 25-20 Jets
The Falcons ought to have easily won this game but they're still so so-so on offense, doesn't feel like that's changing either. The Jets are one of those teams that can get it together every once in a while but there's certainly not enough consistency to put them in the Wild Card hunt. As for the Falcons, I dunno, I think the Panthers and Saints are better, I just don't see how they get back into the playoffs.
Panthers 17-3 Bucs
Yeah, who knows what's up with either of these squads. I still feel like the Panthers can get something going if they can find some offensive consistency. The Bucs are pretty much done for the year, they may as well shut down Winston: either he's the QB of the future (so save him) or they should move on (so give the time to someone else).
Niners 10-33 Eagles
Niners play hard but they can't hang with anyone, with Garopolo in the fold they can set their draft sights in a non-QB direction. The Eagles are still rolling, so far so good in the NFC.
Chargers 13-21 Patriots
I thought the resurgent Rivers might have a shot in New England and it seems like the Chargers had their chance to pull it out. This is not a classic Pats squad but they've still got enough to challenge in the AFC. The Chargers still have a decent shot at a Wild Card if they can dominate their remaining division schedule.
Raiders 14-34 Bills
Buffalo in the frigid autumn is never an easy place to win games but the Raiders seem particularly anemic on offense. Buffalo looks good for now but this is not uncommon for Bills' fans, a lot of 8-8 seasons have started out like this; that said, the AFC is weak enough that the Bulls could hang around (not crappy enough for the Raiders though).
Steelers 20-15 Lions
If the Lions could finish they would've won this game. Seems like they're letting a Rodgers-less season go to waste. Steelers are getting by, which is not bad, but do they actually have the talent to get to the next level? I suppose its possible that by the January they could kick the crap out of everyone but is that really gonna happen?
Broncos 19-29 Chiefs
Looks like the Chiefs pretty well had this game in hand. Talk is that Broncos are ready to move on from Simien (I am, they might as well be, too). Chiefs still in control in the AFC.
Won (covered): Ravens, Vikings, Bills, Falcons, Eagles, Panthers, Cowboys, Steelers, Chiefs
Won (didn't cover): Bengals, Patriots, Saints, Seahawks
Push: (none)
Lost (covered): Colts, Chargers, Bears, Texans
Lost (didn't cover): Dolphins, Browns, Raiders, Jets, Niners, Bucs, Redskins, Lions, Broncos
Dolphins 0-40 Ravens
Dolphins suck, man. I mean the Ravens suck and they just dropped 40 on another team. This game was not any fun at all to watch.
Bears 12-20 Saints
The Bears are scrappy on D and I kinda like Trebisky under center, they'll win some games by the end of the year and they'll put some fear in some good teams along the way too. The Saints are playing better, especially on defense, and they're in a soft division but they're not blowing me away just yet. They'll get a home playoff game, so they'll have their shot.
Colts 23-24 Bengals
This was my game of the week....sheesh. The Bengal offense has been getting better lately and against a terrible opponent I thought they had a good shot at dropping a 41-10 type of game on a patsy. Not so much. Dude, all the Bengals had to do was come out and get it done but in the end they only won because the Colts bungled it. The Colts played probably their best game of the year, fustigated the Bengals on defense and (kinda) moved the ball well. But they gave it away because that's what really bad teams do.
Cowboys 33-19 Redskins
Kept waiting for the Redskins to put together a decent drive but they never really did. The Cowboys were the better team but a trash time pick 6 was what made for the lopsidedness of the score. Feels like the Cowboys are trending upwards but they're losing Elliott for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile the Redskins are trending down and heading into the tough part of their schedule (they'll have chances in December, see if they don't make a late run).
Other results (surprising):
Texans 38-41 Seahawks
Man, looks like the game of the week.....yeah, I got Colts-Bengals (*sigh*). Two of the finer defensive squads of the last few years torching each either. Good stuff, wish I got to see it.
Other results (not so surprising):
Vikings 33-16 Browns
Vikings are consistent, not great but not bad and they have their game plan down. The Browns, on the other hand, can't even make a trade right.
Falcons 25-20 Jets
The Falcons ought to have easily won this game but they're still so so-so on offense, doesn't feel like that's changing either. The Jets are one of those teams that can get it together every once in a while but there's certainly not enough consistency to put them in the Wild Card hunt. As for the Falcons, I dunno, I think the Panthers and Saints are better, I just don't see how they get back into the playoffs.
Panthers 17-3 Bucs
Yeah, who knows what's up with either of these squads. I still feel like the Panthers can get something going if they can find some offensive consistency. The Bucs are pretty much done for the year, they may as well shut down Winston: either he's the QB of the future (so save him) or they should move on (so give the time to someone else).
Niners 10-33 Eagles
Niners play hard but they can't hang with anyone, with Garopolo in the fold they can set their draft sights in a non-QB direction. The Eagles are still rolling, so far so good in the NFC.
Chargers 13-21 Patriots
I thought the resurgent Rivers might have a shot in New England and it seems like the Chargers had their chance to pull it out. This is not a classic Pats squad but they've still got enough to challenge in the AFC. The Chargers still have a decent shot at a Wild Card if they can dominate their remaining division schedule.
Raiders 14-34 Bills
Buffalo in the frigid autumn is never an easy place to win games but the Raiders seem particularly anemic on offense. Buffalo looks good for now but this is not uncommon for Bills' fans, a lot of 8-8 seasons have started out like this; that said, the AFC is weak enough that the Bulls could hang around (not crappy enough for the Raiders though).
Steelers 20-15 Lions
If the Lions could finish they would've won this game. Seems like they're letting a Rodgers-less season go to waste. Steelers are getting by, which is not bad, but do they actually have the talent to get to the next level? I suppose its possible that by the January they could kick the crap out of everyone but is that really gonna happen?
Broncos 19-29 Chiefs
Looks like the Chiefs pretty well had this game in hand. Talk is that Broncos are ready to move on from Simien (I am, they might as well be, too). Chiefs still in control in the AFC.
Won (covered): Ravens, Vikings, Bills, Falcons, Eagles, Panthers, Cowboys, Steelers, Chiefs
Won (didn't cover): Bengals, Patriots, Saints, Seahawks
Push: (none)
Lost (covered): Colts, Chargers, Bears, Texans
Lost (didn't cover): Dolphins, Browns, Raiders, Jets, Niners, Bucs, Redskins, Lions, Broncos
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